This archive report was first published on 17 September 2019.
On September 17, 2019, a US-Kenya business and networking summit, the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP), was held at United States International University – Africa. The summit, themed ‘Doing Business With America,’ aimed to enlighten women in business on how to export duty-free from Kenya to the US under the Agoa and bid on US government contracts, as well as opportunities in the America-Africa Trade Centre.
Launched by the US Department of State in July 2010, AWEP assists women entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises across Sub-Saharan Africa. It now has more than 22 women’s business associations and works directly and indirectly with over 10,000 women across the region.
US publisher and entrepreneur Malcolm Beech, who is also the president of Africa Diaspora Business Roundtable, emphasized the importance of having a partner in America. He said, “You can’t just ship goods to the US without knowing who will receive them, store where and market for you in the other US states. That’s why there is need for you to get a partner in the US, who will help you in the above mentioned activities.”
Dr Beech also highlighted the benefits of having a joint venture partner, stating, “Sometimes the exporting process may take long yet the client wants the goods fast. If you have a joint venture partner, he or she can order for your goods and put them in his or her warehouse and when it is required, the partner just easily picks them from the store and delivers.”
By forming joint ventures with American partners, Kenyan businesswomen can easily access the US market and save costs associated with other value chain processes.
