The Director of the CEOE's Office of the President and CEOE of International CEOE, Narciso Casado, participated today in a breakfast with Spanish businessmen based in Kenya, in the framework of the official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Josep Borrell , to the African country. After the business breakfast, the Spanish delegation held meetings with representatives of the Kenyan Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA); of the East African Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (EACCIA); and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM).

In addition to Casado, the general director of International Trade and Investment, María Paz Ramos, also spoke at the ceremony; the general director of International Economic Relations, Cristina Serrano; the general director for Africa, Raimundo Robredo; the general director of the Chamber of Commerce of Spain, Inmaculada Riera; the ambassador of Spain in Kenya, Javier García de Viedma; and the Economic and Commercial Counselor, Rocío Kessler.

Economic situation of Kenya

CEO of International CEOE, Narciso Casado, assured from Nairobi that the political stability of Kenya; its continued growth in annual GDP, which during the last five years has fluctuated between 5 and 6%; the more than 50 million inhabitants; and an average age that barely reaches twenty, make it a very attractive country for Spanish companies.

In this regard, said Casado, it is worth mentioning the long-term strategy developed by the government, "Kenya Vision 2030", focused on strengthening the economy, society and governance in line with the SDGs proposed by the 2030 Agenda, through greater investment in education, energy, infrastructures and ICTs. He also stressed the project launched by the new government and planned for the next five years, "2018 Budget Policy Statement" (Big Four), whose main objectives are to promote the creation of employment and wealth through the manufacturing sector ( textile, leather, footwear, agro-industry); promote food and nutrition security through greater regulation and control; the construction of half a million homes; and better health coverage.

Business opportunities

Narciso Casado highlighted during his visit to Nairobi that in recent years Kenya has intensified opportunities in the energy sector and in all types of infrastructures, especially through public-private partnerships (PPPs), thus opening the doors to investment. To this, it is appropriate to add, according to Casado, the large transport and infrastructure project that is being carried out between Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan (LAPSSET), focused on the creation of roads, ports and airports to promote connectivity. To this is added, he reported, the recent entry into force, on May 30, of the African Free Trade Agreement, of which Kenya is one of the signatories. "This set of factors makes it one of the most promising countries in Africa," he said.

Also, Casado said, Kenya's geostrategic position as the main port (Mombasa) of the Eastern African Community and country of passage in the main African trade routes, makes it an excellent logistics platform for foreign companies interested in establishing themselves in the region. Therefore, from CEOE it is considered that Kenya is a country with great opportunities for Spanish companies in sectors such as railway, airport, energy and electrical infrastructures; water management and treatment; and solid waste. Also, "new opportunities open up in the implementation of new technologies in the fields of agriculture, financial, hospital and manufacturing," he said.

Background

Casado reported that CEOE has participated and organized various activities with Kenya over the past few years. Among the most recent, it is worth mentioning the visit to the headquarters of the Business Confederation of the CEO of the Kenyan Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), Carole Kariuki, with which a collaboration agreement was signed to intensify economic relations between both countries. Likewise, Casado informed, CEOE maintains an excellent relationship with its counterpart organization in the OIE, the Federation of Kenyan Employers (FKE).

In this sense, the director of CEOE International thanked the efforts of the Spanish government to promote the III African Plan and intensify the high-level institutional visits, with strong economic and business content, such as the one that was held two months ago in Ethiopia, and can help articulate innovative financial instruments to support companies.

Specifically, CEOE met with Ambassador Deputy Permanent Representative of Spain to the EU, Juan Arístegui Laborde; with the General Director of BusinessEurope, Markus Beyrer; and with the Secretary General of the European Commission, Martin Selmayr, to whom the business priorities of CEOE were transferred to a crucial moment like the current one, in which the main political lines that will guide the European legislative activity of the next five are defined years.

In particular, the results of the recent European elections at the end of May were discussed, as well as the political and business perspectives and objectives for the new European institutional cycle that will begin at the beginning of July with the constituent session of the European Parliament.

José Alberto González Ruiz, in line with the CEOE priorities document "More and Better Europe: our common enterprise", highlighted that the new European Commission contemplates, among its top priorities, the development of a coherent industrial and investment strategy, with a view to increasing internal and external competitiveness; and, on the other, ensure the consolidation and homogeneous implementation of what has already been done.

The vice president of CEOE and president of its Fiscal Commission, Pilar González de Frutos, participated along with the general secretary of CEOE; the president of the European Union Commission, Jesús Ortiz; the president of the Digital Society Commission, Julio Linares; the president of the Commission of Economy and Financial Policy, Íñigo Fernández de Mesa; as well as the Director of the Department of Regulatory and European Affairs, Bernardo Aguilera, accompanied by the Permanent Delegate and Head of European Affairs, Patricia Cirez.

The president of CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, has met with the new president and general secretary of the Spanish Federation of Traders of Appliances (FECE), Diego Giménez and Carlos Romero, respectively.

With this agreement, Expoquimia puts at the service of the member companies of Feique its knowledge and leadership in the field of fair for the celebration of the next edition of the Hall, which will take place from June 2 to 5, 2020 in Barcelona. Likewise, Expoquimia 2020 will host another year at Fira de Barcelona the Smart Chemistry Smart Future project, the meeting forum for the chemical sector promoted by Feique, in which the leading organizations of the sector come together to highlight the great innovative capacity of this sector. industry to generate sustainable solutions to the great challenges of today's society according to the UN 2030 Agenda.

Towards Expoquimia 2020

The 19th edition of Expoquimia, will return in 2020 faithful to its appointment every three years with the intention of surpassing the data of 2017 with more than 17,500 m2 of exhibition space, about 400 direct exhibitors, 2,180 products of 2,221 brands represented and 278 novelties. Besides being the great commercial and promotional showcase of the sector, Expoquimia is the great platform of environmental and scientific divulgation of the Spanish chemical sector, composed of more than 3,300 companies.

Along with its wide range of exhibitions, Expoquimia 2020 will have the best congress program, one of its main hallmarks. The celebration of the Congress of Chemical Engineering of the Mediterranean, which reaches its fifteenth edition, and the XVI Conference of Instrumental Analysis will be the pillars of knowledge and the scientific-technical proposals that will mark the solutions of tomorrow.

The three major disruptive themes in which the great meeting of applied chemistry will revolve will be circular economy, technology transfer and digital transformation, under which all entities and associations can organize their seminars, seminars and initiatives within the framework of Expoquimia jointly with Eurosurfas and Equiplast, the other two fair events on the treatment of surfaces and plastics are held simultaneously.

The Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Andalusia held a seminar today in which the "new digital communication in institutions and organizations" was analyzed and integrated into the dissemination activities programmed by the Office of Digital Transformation (OTD) of CEA.

The weekly has had a presentation by journalist Juan Carlos Blanco de la Cruz, consultant and trainer in communication; with a long experience in media, both in press and radio, and in institutional consulting. He has been one of the pioneers in Andalusia who introduced and disseminated the use of social networks in the media, business and institutional spheres.

In activity, attached to the Office of Digital Transformation (OTD) of CEA, have participated professionals and communication managers of the territorial and sector organizations of the Andalusian business organization, as well as its member companies associated.

Juan Carlos Blanco has shown the importance of not being oblivious to this new reality of social networks and that is part of the digital transformation that takes place in all areas of society, in a changing and increasingly disruptive world. Desgranado the peculiarities and the importance of each network, analyzed the opportunities and also the risks offered by the networks for the dissemination and communication of business and institutional activities.

Both in the paper by Blanco and in the subsequent colloquium it became evident that the management of social networks should be in the hands of professionals specialized in communication and journalism, within a strategy and global planning of corporate communication.

In short, the emergence of social networks has also come to stay in the companies in the instuticones. More and more people decide to open a profile on one or more social networks. Every month Facebook, Twitter or Instagram celebrate the reach of new goals thanks to the activity of the companies. In Spain, specifically, from micro to autonomous, SMEs, startups and entrepreneurs have a space in a social network, some even bet on social networks before launching a corporate website.

In this context, business organizations have joined this new way to develop corporate communication to address their partners, the productive sectors and the entire business community and society as a whole. To implement these actions, communication professionals must always be attentive to changes and the evolution of these new forms of communication so that their function is more efficient and does not fall into obsolescence.

Digital Transformation Offices

The Digital Transformation Offices set up throughout Spain by the Ministry of Economy and Business, through the public entity Red.es, have a global budget of five million euros. The actions to be carried out will be financed by the Multiregional Operational Program of Spain (POPE), European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) for the programming period 2014-2020 and under the slogan "A way of doing Europe" which has among its objectives to improve the use, quality and access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

This initiative is implemented in parallel to the "Digital Advisors" Program, with another five million euros through the same type of European Funds, and aims to carry out Digitalization Plans that help SMEs incorporate ICT in their processes. : business management, relationship with third parties, electronic commerce and digitalization of services or solutions.