Asia, Africa and Middle East CommitteeIncoming Visitors

It was a pleasure to welcome H.E. Willy Kipkorir Bett, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to China, along with his delegation, to the Chamber on June 2. They were greeted by HKGCC CEO Patrick Yeung, Asia, Africa & Middle East Committee Chairman Dewan Saiful Alam, and SME Committee Vice Chairman Simon Hui. The parties exchanged views on Kenya’s investment opportunities and Hong Kong’s dynamic business landscape.

Strategically located along the coast, Kenya’s Mombasa Port serves as a key logistics hub for landlocked nations such as Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and other Central African countries. Blessed with diverse terrain, Kenya is also ideal for renewable energy development—93% of its power supply comes from clean sources, primarily hydro and geothermal, while solar and wind energy are rapidly expanding.

Dubbed the "Silicon Savannah," Kenya is home to leading pan-African B2B e-commerce platforms such as AMBESA and is actively advancing digital transformation across its public and private sectors. Ambassador Bett highlighted that, with robust infrastructure development under the Belt and Road Initiative, now is an opportune time for foreign investors to explore Kenya’s vast potential. Additionally, Kenya’s preferential trade policies and memberships in the East African Community Customs Union, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Tripartite Free Trade Area, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) ensure seamless market access for investors targeting Eastern and Central Africa.

Vietnam’s economy is booming as the government focuses on attracting investment in high-tech industries, financial services, and professional services, said Do Quoc Hung, Director General, Asia-Africa Market Development, Ministry of Industry and Trade of Viet Nam, who led a delegation to the Chamber on 28 May to promote e-commerce, trade and investment.

He added that the new government is cutting red tape, revising laws and improving infrastructure to support its growing economy and to attract more overseas companies.

Small businesses and e-commerce are key drivers of Vietnam’s economic development, with e-commerce growing 22% in 2024 year-on-year to reach US$25 billion. According to Tran Thuy Tien from the E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency, under the National Master Plan on E-commerce, online retail sales are expected to grow 20-30% annually in the coming years.

Galvin Chia, Principal Economist, HKTDC, also speaking at the event, was equally bullish. A recent HKTDC survey ranked ASEAN as the market with the most potential, second only to China. He noted that the Hong Kong Government’s plan to inject HK$2.5 billion into the BUD Fund to support SMEs, along with expanding the E-commerce Easy program to all 10 ASEAN countries, will further drive ecommerce growth.

The discussions, hosted by Chamber General Committee Member Edmond Yue and Asia, Africa & Middle East Committee Chairman Dewan Saiful Alam, were followed by a productive networking session where attendees sampled Vietnamese F&B products.

Indonesia’s Consul General Yul Edison spoke to a full house at the Chamber’s Asia, Africa & Middle East Committee meeting on 14 May about the country’s business environment and trade with Hong Kong and the region.

With a population of 285 million, 40% of whom are middle class, the economy has been enjoying annual GDP growth of 5%, and the government has set a target of 8% going forward. Hong Kong was Indonesia’s second largest investor in 2024, bringing accumulated FDI to US$33 billion in almost 9,000 projects.

While FDI is growing steady, the country has a large trade deficit with Hong Kong, which he is hoping to address with by boosting exports the country, while attracting more investment into the 25 special economic zones across the archipelago. He also aims to raise the number of Hong Kong tourists to Indonesia, which reached 56,000 last year, significantly behind the pre-covid number of 95,000.