NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 16 – The Australia East Africa Chamber of Commerce has been launched in Nairobi to strengthen business links between Australia and East Africa and create opportunities for trade, investment and partnerships across the region.
The chamber was launched on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at the Australian High Commission in Nairobi, bringing together government representatives, business leaders and investors from Australia and East Africa.
Australian High Commissioner to Kenya Andrew Barnes said the chamber will help strengthen connections between businesses and unlock trade and investment opportunities across the region.
“The chamber of commerce will accelerate cross-border trade by connecting businesses, unlocking trade and investment opportunities and advocating for the members themselves,” Barnes said.
The chamber will bring together businesses, investors and institutions interested in expanding trade and investment between Australia and East Africa, while providing a platform for companies to share market information, identify opportunities and develop partnerships.
Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) Chief Executive Officer Dr Paul Grimes said the establishment of the chamber reflects the growing commercial engagement between Australia and East Africa.
“The establishment of the chamber most importantly recognizes something that those of us who work in this region know and understand well. And that is business is built on relationships,” Grimes said.
Grimes said businesses operating in East Africa require long-term engagement and partnerships, with the chamber expected to facilitate connections between companies across the region.
“Relationships create opportunities, open doors and help us navigate challenges when they inevitably arise,” he said.
He said the chamber would provide a regional network through which businesses, investors and partners can share experiences and strengthen commercial ties between Australia and East Africa.
“The chamber provides a platform which matches that reality, bringing together a regional network of businesses, investors and partners who share a common interest in growing trade and investment between Australia and East Africa,” Grimes said.
The chamber was established following discussions that initially considered setting up a Uganda-Australia Chamber of Commerce before its founders opted for a regional approach covering East Africa.
Thomas Brown, CEO of the Australia East Africa Chamber of Commerce, said the decision was informed by the movement of goods and businesses across East African borders and efforts to promote regional trade.
“As we reviewed it, we sat back and realised it made much more sense to take a regional approach to East Africa,” Brown said.
Brown said the chamber had five member organisations at the time of its launch and would focus on connecting businesses, providing market information, advocating for members and bringing businesses and institutions together to share experiences.
He said the chamber would seek to facilitate trade and exchange in both directions between Australia and East Africa.
“As a chamber, we also understand that a healthy long-term relationship, whether it’s with your significant other, is about being two-way. So the chamber is very much around how we enable increased trade and exchange in both directions,” Brown said.
Brown said the chamber would also provide businesses with information on markets they seek to enter and create a forum for businesses and institutions to discuss challenges and opportunities.
“We want to be able to provide information on the markets businesses want to enter. We want to advocate for members. And we want to be able to convene both business and institutions to come together and share these lessons,” he said.
Intrepid Regional Manager Samuel Karani said the company had joined the chamber as a founding member, citing its operations across 11 African countries as an example of businesses operating across national borders in the region.
Karani said the chamber’s impact would ultimately depend on the relationships, partnerships and investments it helps create.
“Ultimately, our success and the success of this organisation is not going to be built by the number of forums that we are going to have together. It is going to be built by the investments that are going to be unlocked, by the relationships and the partnerships that are going to be created,” he said.
Brown said the chamber’s long-term objective is to build an organisation that continues to support its members and strengthen trade and exchange between Australia and East Africa.
He invited businesses and other stakeholders to engage with the chamber and contribute their experience, connections and ideas as it develops its membership and activities.
“My hope is we’ll look back on today and reflect and it leads to partnerships, investments, exchange,” Brown said.
