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Dubai Chamber of Commerce has launched the Kenyan Business Council as part of efforts to deepen ties with East Africa’s largest economy. The new body held its inaugural meeting at the chamber’s headquarters in recent days where participants outlined priorities that include generating fresh commercial prospects and improving collaboration among enterprises from both sides. Discussions also centred on the value of sharing industry knowledge along with market intelligence while planning coordinated promotional activities to connect potential partners. The mention of how Dubai Chamber of Commerce launches Kenyan Business Council underscores a structured approach to bilateral engagement that builds on existing momentum in cross-border activity.
Maha Al Gargawi, vice president of business advocacy at Dubai Chambers, stated that the new Kenyan Business Council provides an important platform for strengthening trade and investment partnerships between Dubai and Kenya. She added that it will play a key role in creating new avenues for bilateral cooperation across diverse sectors, contributing to economic growth and the development of long-term strategic partnerships between the business communities in both markets. Her comments came as the council began operations under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers which oversees multiple such groups representing international markets.
Chamber figures show that 146 new Kenyan companies joined Dubai Chamber of Commerce during 2025. That influx lifted the total of active Kenyan member companies to 587 by the end of the year and delivered annual growth of 9.7 percent. The expansion in membership reflects Dubai’s rising attractiveness for Kenyan businesses seeking a regional base from which to access broader Middle East and African networks.
Non-oil trade between Dubai and Kenya reached AED13.6 billion in 2025 according to the chamber, marking a 2.1 percent increase from the prior year. Data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity indicate that United Arab Emirates exports to Kenya rose at an annualized rate of 3.68 percent between 2019 and 2024, climbing from $2.1 billion to $2.52 billion over that period. The sustained expansion aligns with a comprehensive economic partnership agreement the two countries signed in early 2025 that aims to reduce barriers and open fresh channels for investment according to statements from Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Business councils registered with Dubai Chamber of Commerce function as dedicated platforms that represent firms and investors from designated countries. These entities collaborate directly with the chamber to advance mutual trade volumes, promote private-sector coordination and lay foundations for enduring economic relationships. Earlier cooperation included a 2023 memorandum of understanding between Dubai Chambers and the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry that similarly targeted stronger commercial exchanges.
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry opened its own liaison office in Dubai in January 2026 to help Kenyan exporters manage risks and streamline operations in Gulf markets. Officials at that time highlighted that the UAE had become Kenya’s fifth-largest export destination with trade volumes exceeding $400 million in 2023. Such developments illustrate the reciprocal interest that has accelerated since the lifting of pandemic-era restrictions and the negotiation of formal trade pacts between the two sides.
