MICE has put Kenya top on the global map

In the past one year, Kenya has hosted three major global conferences namely the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD14) and currently the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI). Two others are lined up later this year; The Indo Africa ICT Expo and the 5th Annual East Africa Oil and Gas Summit to be held in September and November, respectively. Each of these conferences comes with direct and indirect benefits to Kenya. The direct benefits accrue from the negotiations, deal making and resolutions of which Kenya is party to. On the side-lines of such conferences vibrant entities such as the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry have facilitated their members to actively engage and network with their peers from across the globe. The indirect benefits have also been through hospitality, forex earning and tourism.

Hosting such meetings comes after intense lobbying and negotiations. The Presidency and Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be applauded for this. The country’s foreign policy has been revamped especially since CS Amina Mohammed took office through actively engaging all countries of the world. And indeed one can see the results of these efforts. Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) seem to have become a well-crafted strategic response to redeem the country’s glory after the terrorism challenges we faced in the recent past.  Notably, the MICE are hosted by Kenyatta International Conference Centre. The Centre has steadily enhanced its viability and relevance to global standards since becoming a state corporation in 2003. The Centre can now successfully bid for any international event because of its well organized governance and management structure unlike the days it was used as KANU headquarters and managed by politicians.