Ministry of Investments,Trade and Industry

What Ministry of Investments,Trade and Industry does

The State Department for Trade operates as a government ministry within Kenya's Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry (MITI), headquartered at Telposta Towers, 18th Floor, Kenyatta Avenue, Nairobi. It manages trade policy formulation, export promotion, market access negotiations, and trade facilitation across Kenya's bilateral and multilateral trade agreement network, which spans the Kenya-EU EPA, Kenya-UK EPA, AfCFTA, EAC, COMESA, the Tripartite FTA, and bilateral arrangements with the United States, China, UAE, France, Germany, India, Slovakia, South Korea, and others. The ministry oversees six wholly-owned state corporations: KEPROBA (export promotion and branding), KNTC (strategic trade operations), KETRA (trade remedies), WRSC (warehouse receipt system), KOMEX (commodity exchange), and KECOPAC (consumer protection advisory). Its operating model is non-commercial, funded through government budgetary allocations with services delivered through public policy and regulatory frameworks rather than pricing-based mechanisms.

The ministry's core service portfolio includes Weights & Measures regulation (joint inspections with KRA), Trade Platforms, Market Access services, and Foreign Trade Missions, complemented by newer digital infrastructure initiatives. The flagship operational technology is the Electronic Warehouse Receipt System Central Registry (eWRS-CR), launched in February 2026 in partnership with TradeMark Africa and funded by the British High Commission, which centralizes warehouse receipt management and enables agricultural producers to access financing using receipts as collateral; 114 receipts covering nearly 600,000 kg of commodities were already registered at launch. The Digital Services Export Strategy, in development through 2026 with World Bank support via the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project, provides a five-year roadmap targeting Kenya's positioning as Africa's leading digital services hub by 2031.

Strategic initiatives advanced in 2025-2026 include the Kenya-EU EPA Implementation Strategy (a 10-year roadmap launched July 2026), the National Trade Development Bill 2025 (proposing a National Trade Council, National Trade Development Academy, and National Trade Portal), the National Technical Barriers to Trade Committee and its five-year strategic plan (October 2025), and active Phase II AfCFTA Protocol ratification efforts. The ministry engages an extensive development partner ecosystem including the World Bank, IFC, GIZ, TradeMark Africa, UN ECA, AGRA, FCDO-UK, and AfCFTA Secretariat, alongside private sector bodies such as KEPSA, KAM, and KEBS. Customer segments served include Kenyan exporters (enterprise), agricultural producers (650,000+ farmers in tea/coffee sectors), small-scale cross-border traders, women exporters, and manufacturers, with no commercial revenue concentration and demand distributed across multiple Kenyan economic sectors.

Name

Ministry of Investments,Trade and Industry

Legal name

Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry (State Department for Trade)

Website

https://trade.go.ke

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kenya's State Department for Trade, within the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, manages trade policy, export promotion, and market access through a network of regional and bilateral agreements, overseeing six state corporations and digital platforms including the eWRS-CR warehouse receipt registry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Trade Services

NAICS

Regulation of Agricultural Marketing and Commodities (92614), Regulation of Agricultural Marketing and Commodities (926140)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Trade Facilitation & Customs Modernization (BPADAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trade Facilitation, Customs & Border Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAG), Customs Clearance & Border Trade Facilitation (BPAIADAF), Customs Duties, Tariff Classification & Valuation (BPAIADAG), Global Trade & Customs / Trade Compliance (BPAHAHAG)

Keywords

• Trade policy
• Export promotion
• Market access
• Trade facilitation
• Standards compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The State Department for Trade, part of Kenya's Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, administers national trade policy, manages bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, and delivers trade facilitation services to Kenyan exporters. Core offerings include Weights & Measures regulatory services, Trade Platforms, Market Access facilitation, Foreign Trade Missions, and the Electronic Warehouse Receipt System Central Registry (eWRS-CR), a digital platform that automates warehouse receipts to connect farmers and agribusinesses with structured markets and financing.

Product overview

The State Department for Trade operates as a government ministry providing trade facilitation services, regulatory oversight, and policy implementation. The portfolio includes regulatory services (Weights & Measures), trade facilitation platforms, market access services, and foreign trade missions. Major digital initiatives include the operational Electronic Warehouse Receipt System Central Registry (eWRS-CR) for agricultural trade transformation, and the developing Digital Services Export Strategy. The department is also advancing the National Trade Development Bill 2025 which proposes a National Trade Portal and National Trade Council. Services are delivered through partnerships with state corporations including KEPROBA, KETRA, KNTC, and the Warehouse Receipt Systems Council.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Weights & Measures Regulatory and compliance service ensuring accurate measurements in trade, including verification of weighing and measuring instruments and joint inspections with the Kenya Revenue Authority for industries such as ethanol plants. Targeted at manufacturers, industrial operators, and trade participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Digital services exports valued at USD 1.98 billion, sixth-largest in Africa
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• State Department for ICT and the Digital EconomycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 July 2026Joint development of Kenya's Digital Services Export Strategy with support from World Bank through Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project (KDEAP).
• TradeMark Africa (TMA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Development partner supporting trade facilitation initiatives including the eWRS-CR platform launch. TMA provides funding and technical support for regional trade improvement programs.
• UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2025Collaboration on validation workshop for Green Supplement to National AfCFTA Strategy focusing on tea and coffee sectors, integrating green and climate change policies.
• COMESAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2025Regional economic community supporting Kenya-Uganda MRA signing, agricultural trade pilot project, and Kenya's hosting of 24th COMESA Summit.
• AGRAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2025Support for Kenya-Uganda MRA on cross-border trade in staple foods including harmonized SOPs, grading capacity, and conformity assessment systems.
• Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency (KEPROBA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025State Corporation under MITI responsible for export promotion and branding of Kenyan products internationally. KEPROBA provides export readiness training, market intelligence, and support for participation in international trade fairs.
• Kenya National Trading Cooperation Limited (KNTC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025State Corporation engaged in strategic trade operations including importation and distribution of essential commodities to stabilize markets.
• Kenya Trade Remedies Agency (KETRA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025State Corporation that addresses trade remedies including anti-dumping, countervailing duties, and safeguard measures to protect domestic industry from unfair trade practices.
• Warehouse Receipt Systems Council (WRSC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Council managing the Warehouse Receipt System including the Electronic Warehouse Receipt System Central Registry (eWRS-CR) platform. The system helps farmers access financing using warehouse receipts as collateral.
• Kenya National Multi-Commodities Exchange Limited (KOMEX)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Exchange platform for trading agricultural commodities, providing price discovery and market access for farmers and traders.
• Kenya Consumers Protection Advisory Committee (KECOPAC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Advisory committee focused on consumer protection matters related to trade and commerce.
• African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) SecretariatcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Continental body overseeing AfCFTA implementation. Kenya hosts Ratification Advocacy Mission to advance Phase II Protocols ratification including Investment, Competition Policy, IP Rights, Digital Trade, and Women and Youth in Trade.
• East African Community (EAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Regional bloc with 8 member states. EAC Leaders set June 2026 deadline to eliminate non-tariff barriers and launched EAC Customs Bond and 7th EAC Development Strategy.
• European Union (EU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Kenya-EU EPA Implementation Strategy launched covering Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Standards, Customs, ICT, Structured Commodity Trade, and Trade and Sustainable Development.
• Competition Authority of KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Regulatory body implementing competition policy. Kenya chairs AU Committee of Heads of State on AfCFTA Implementation and leads EAC Competition Authority.
• Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2025Tax authority conducting joint inspections with Department of Weights and Measures for regulatory compliance at facilities like West Valley Distillers.
• Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Standards body ensuring Kenyan products meet international quality and safety standards for export markets.
• Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Private sector association collaborating with government on EPA implementation to ensure private sector realizes benefits of trade agreements.
• KEPSA (Kenya Private Sector Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Private sector umbrella body participating in trade policy consultations and AfCFTA green supplement validation workshop.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ghana Ministry of Trade, Industry and Agribusiness: Ghana's national trade ministry handling AfCFTA implementation, export promotion, and industrialization policy. It is a direct peer because it executes an equivalent mandate at country level, but in a different African regional bloc (ECOWAS rather than EAC/COMESA).
• TradeMark Africa: Trade facilitation organization that funds and co-implements trade programs across East Africa, including the eWRS-CR. It is the most directly comparable counterpart because it operates the same trade facilitation and customs modernization agenda in the same geography, often as a delivery partner to MITI.
• AfCFTA Secretariat: Continental body overseeing implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, covering the same 1.3 billion-person market Kenya is positioning into. It is a direct peer because it sets the continental trade rules that Kenya's State Department for Trade operationalizes at the national level.
• Rwanda Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM): Rwanda's national ministry responsible for trade policy, export promotion, and EAC implementation. It is a direct peer because it executes the same mandate (trade agreements, AfCFTA, EAC integration, export promotion) within the same East African regional bloc.

Broad incumbents

• International Trade Centre (ITC): UN/WTO joint agency that supports export promotion, trade intelligence, and SME competitiveness globally, including in Kenya via KEPROBA-aligned programs. It is a broad incumbent because it plays a similar role at a global scale rather than within a single country's trade agreement portfolio.
• UNCTAD: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, focused on trade, investment, and development policy. It is a broad incumbent because it convenes the trade policy frameworks (and produces the analysis) that the State Department for Trade applies at country level.
• World Trade Organization (WTO): Multilateral body governing global trade rules and referenced explicitly on the ministry's site. It is a broad incumbent because it sets the multilateral trade rules Kenya complies with, but does not run national trade promotion programs.

Regional players

• United Republic of Tanzania - Ministry of Trade and Industry: Tanzania's national trade ministry handling EAC, AfCFTA, and bilateral trade negotiations from a neighboring EAC partner state. It is a regional peer because it executes the same mandate across the border but primarily serves Tanzanian rather than Kenyan exporters.

Others

• Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest): Sister Kenyan government agency under MITI that promotes foreign direct investment into Kenya. It is an ecosystem participant because it operates the investment promotion side of MITI's broader mandate, complementing the State Department for Trade's export and market access work.
• African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank): Continental trade finance institution that supports African exporters and runs programs adjacent to MITI's export promotion work (e.g., trade finance, AfCFTA adjustment fund). It is an ecosystem participant rather than a direct peer, since it finances trade rather than sets trade policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ministry-of-investments-trade-and-industry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ministry of Investments,Trade and Industry