Three Wiltshire firms are today taking part in an event aimed at developing stronger trade links between the county and Kenya.
The three are among a group of 15 firms from across the South West which will meet a delegation of 175 business people from Kenya this afternoon.
The 'meet-the-buyer' session, which has been organised by the government's trade-boosting body UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and Barclays Bank, will give the firms a chance to showcase their products and services to the Kenyan delegation.
Taking part from Wiltshire are Howard & Sons Exports, from Devizes, which sells spare parts for tractors and agricultural machinery, The Consortium from Trowbridge, which supplies products to the education sector, and Salisbury-based agricultural machinery firm Vellag, which already has trade links in Kenya.
The 175 Kenyan business people, all members of the Barclays Bank Business Club in Nairobi, will be joined by Wanja Michuki, the principal counsel for trade and economic affairs at the Kenya High Commission in London. The 'meet-the-buyer' session, which takes place at Leigh Court, near Bristol, follows a visit this morning to the Kip Keino stadium in Filton, Bristol, which will be used by the 2012 Kenyan Olympic team as their base. The delegation will tour the training camp and accommodation facilities at the stadium, named after Kenya's most famous athlete and two-time Olympic Gold medal winner for mid-distance running. Mr Keino visited the stadium earlier this year.
Mike Rundle, of UKTI South West, said: “The Kenyan trade delegation is undertaking a tour of select UK cities, including Birmingham and Cambridge, and is visiting the West Country due to the Olympics connection.
“This trade visit is not only a great opportunity for select local companies to showcase their products and services to a large number of Kenyan businesses but also for the West of England to establish important trade links and to work toward building a lasting legacy from the opportunities created by the 2012 Olympic Games.”
