The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Regional Investment Agency (RIA), and the Kenya Investment Authority (InvestKenya) have co-hosted the COMESA Investment Forum 2026 which was held on the sidelines of the Kenya International Investment Conference (KIICO) 2026 in Nairobi bringing together the 21 COMESA member states and over 350 delegates to the high-level engagement.
In her keynote address, H.E. Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, Secretary General (SG) of COMESA, called for a unified strategy to attract sustainable, digital-forward investments and to capitalize on global supply chain shifts.
To realize these goals, the SG revealed that COMESA is prioritising the development of the Profuture Investment Park and the launch of a new interactive investment platform, designed to connect member states directly with global investors and facilitate high-impact deal-making that enhances the livelihoods of the region’s population.
Speaking at the event, the Principal Secretary (PS) for Investments Promotion, Abubakar Hassan Abubakar, emphasised that building investor confidence and improving the ease of doing business are fundamental to the prosperity of the COMESA region.
The PS highlighted digitalisation as the primary catalyst for growth, noting that embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution is essential for accelerating regional development and integrating modern commerce.
He was echoed by John Mwendwa, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of InvestKenya, who reiterated the importance of ensuring that COMESA Member States (governments and the private sector) translate their commitments into actionable impact to ensure investor confidence and protection.
At a Fireside Chat on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) attraction within COMESA’s broader integration agenda, Dr Jas Bedi, Chairperson of KEPSA, presented a candid assessment of COMESA’s trade trajectory, noting that despite the bloc’s establishment, intra-regional trade remains low at only 7.2 percent ($33.1 billion) of total trade volume.
He highlighted a significant imbalance in which only seven of the 21-member states, led by Kenya and Egypt, account for 80 percent of all regional commerce, in contrast to the $422.9 million flowing to extra-regional markets.
Moving forward, Bedi urged a shift from “talk shop” diplomacy to concrete action.
Meanwhile, in a plenary panel that focused on the shift towards strategic resilience on COMESA FDI trends KEPSA CEO Carole Kariuki stated, “We need a regional policy where any reported Non-Tariff Barriers that aren’t resolved within 60 days, as per AfCFTA guidelines, trigger automatic mediation or penalties. We cannot allow disputes to sit for 12 years”.
Notably, the COMESA Investment Forum (CIF) 2026 concluded with a high-impact networking session and a series of B2B meetings in the ‘Deal Room’ fostering direct connections between regional policymakers and global investors.
As the broader Kenya International Investment Conference (KIICO) 2026 continues into day 3, March 27, the focus shifted toward environmental sustainability where the upcoming sessions are set to highlight the circular economy and waste management.
By Michael Omondi
