Published on: June 04, 2024 07:05 (EAT)
Dr. James Mwaura, Chairperson of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with Aklile Belete, African Trusted Partners Founder and CEO. PHOTO | COURTESY
The furniture, woodwork, interior design and
finishing industries are set to undergo a significant metamorphosis in line
with the fast-paced digital era thanks to Fintex East Africa.
Speaking at the launch in Nairobi, Christine
Songole, the Chief Interior Designer at the State Department of Public Works,
described the venture as an eye-opening opportunity to learn from Ethiopian
transformation of their furniture industry.
The largest regionally endorsed furniture
fair in Ethiopia will officially open on August 8 – 10, 2024 featuring unique
features: cross industry networking, business matchmaking, hosted buyers,
summit and exhibition gathering more than 500 local, regional and global
brands.
“Globally, the furniture industry has undergone
a lot of changes, including technological breakthroughs, industrialization, and
shifting consumer preferences. As a ministry, we realized that there was a
major gap and that is why we have started developing a furniture policy,” said
Ms. Songole.
The summit will have speakers from United
Kingdom, Malaysia, Ethiopia among other nations welcoming premium guests
raising the bar of international fair focused on contributing to the true
commercial and branding value of the entire furniture, woodwork, interior
design and finishing industries.
“Fintex is a trade fair that addresses the
true needs of both exhibitors and buyers when pioneering a new approach that
minimizes foreign entrepreneurs and maximizes Kenyan origin, while also
presenting new profiles annually,” said Aklile Belete, founder and Chief
Executive Officer of African Trusted Partners (ATP).
During the launch, the Memoranda of Understanding
(MoUs) were signed between four different parties.
The first MoU was between African Trusted
Partners (ATP) and the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce; the partnership is
for advocacy, sponsors, exhibitors to encourage, bolster and facilitate
economic.
The second deal was between KEFRI and ATP on
how to strategize the furniture industry, improve the industrial wood supply and
alternative wood raw materials for furniture industry.
The last agreement was signed between ATP and
the Association of Designers of Kenya (ADKE), a collaboration towards on
organizing the summit addition to strengthening trade relations and fostering
collaborative initiatives between the parties.