2024

About Kenya Trade Awards and Conference (KTAC

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THEME: UPSCALING EXCELLENCE IN TRADE FACILITATION

The Kenya Trade Awards & Conference 2023 will be held on from Wednesday 15th November, 2023 to Thursday 16th November, 2023 at the Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort & Spa in Mombasa. The conferenceand exhibition, will run for the two days culminating in the Awards Gala Dinner starting at 6.30pm on Thursday, 16th November, 2023 on the final day of the event.

ABOUT KTAC

Kenya Trade Awards and Conference (KTAC) seeks recognize and celebrate outstanding achievements, and contributions in the trade facilitation industry.

KTAC is open to private and public business enterprises, associations, non-governmental organisations and government institutions based in Kenya. It is an initiative of Think Business Limited in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry. We are seeking partnerships with like-minded organisations to propel this noble cause.

Participation in the awards will highlight the achievements of the participating institution as well as an opportunity to share the best practices in trade facilitation. Information from winning institutions will be shared with experts, practitioners, government, and other stakeholders. Whether an organization wins an award or is nominated for the shortlist, the information can be used on a global scale for marketing and publicity to demonstrate its effectiveness to policymakers and increase influence with stakeholders or assist gaining the resources or support required.

Trade is an essential tool for spurring economic growth, reducing global poverty and a key factor for socio-economic development. Developing economies are greatly encumbered by trade constraints owing to the high cost of doing business. Efficiencies that are associated with lowering the costs of doing business are increasingly being recognized as key factors in trade facilitation. In Kenya like many other countries, the Government of Kenya has made strides in implementing initiatives or reforms that are geared towards enhancing competitiveness in the trade facilitation industry.

Initiatives to improve trade efficiency revolve around enhancing transport, logistics, infrastructure and service delivery. Some of these initiatives have resulted in the improvement of procedures in customs clearance; introduction to automation and use of information technology; reduction of excessive documentation requirements; addressing lack of transparency in import and export requirements or procedures and better coordination among government agencies. These reforms have huge financial implications, and it is expected that there is better compliance and enhanced service delivery in the industry.

There are notable benefits derived from the investments that have been made by the government and enhanced service delivery by the private sector. The government for example, benefits from enhanced revenue and increased compliance from the trading community and reduced corruption. The trading community on the other hand benefits from lower transaction costs, better predictability and enhanced efficiency, leading to greater competitiveness. Ultimately, efficient trade has assisted in lowering trade transaction costs, attracting foreign direct investment, job creation, reduced margins between domestic and international prices to the benefit consumers and producers.

Against this background, Think Business Ltd, have put together the Kenya Trade Awards and Conference, a two-day high-level awards, conference and exhibition themed, “upscaling excellence in trade facilitation” to provide a forum for industry leaders to share experiences, showcase best practices and to publicly recognize the initiatives, roles and contributions of the various players in enhancing trade facilitation. The Award ceremony seek to motivate the winners to remain competitive as well as inspire the industry players to continue driving the economy.

SPONSORSHIP/PARTNERSHIP

Think Business is seeking sponsorship and partnership with like-minded institutions to propel this noble cause. KTAC seeks recognize the industry’s merits and set benchmarks for excellence, whilst rewarding innovative ideas, concepts and individuals who have pushed the boundaries of what is possible.

Below is a schedule of the 2023 KTAC

DATE	ACTIVITY
Mon. 17^th July, 2023	Award portal opens for entries / CSS starts
Mon. 7^th August, 2023	Entries close/
Thur. 10^th August, 2023	Judging Process starts/ CSS ends
Tues. 22^nd August, 2023	Judging Process ends
Wed. 30^th – Thur. 31^st August, 2023	Awards conference & Exhibition
Thur. 31^st August, 2023	Awards Gala Dinner

EXHIBITION, CONFERENCE AND AWARDS

KTAC is a high level two – day event that will include the conference, exhibition and award ceremony. KTAC is open to private and public business enterprises, associations, non-governmental organizations and government institutions. KTAC target audience cuts across trade facilitation players such as transporters, shippers, air transportation, freight forwarding, shipping agents, delivery services, financial institutions like banks and insurers, government institutions, trade membership associations, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), large manufacturers, importers and exporters among others. The event will attract senior government officials, development partners, government agencies, trade facilitation and logistics providers among others.

Conference

The conference is designed as a forum for networking, discussions and exchange of ideas on thematic issues affecting trade facilitation. The aim is to encourage industry players to work together and engage in developing implementable strategies that will promote trade facilitation locally, within the continent and globally.

Exhibition

This is a forum for stakeholders to showcase their products and services to other stakeholders and the general public. The exhibition will take place alongside the conference. It will be open to local and regional organizations involved in trade, trade facilitation and logistics. They will take up booths to display their projects, initiatives, services and products. There will special awards and recognition for the best exhibitors during the award ceremony.

Award Ceremony

The Award ceremony seeks set benchmarks for excellence, whilst rewarding innovative ideas, concepts projects and products/services. The benchmarks will be based on some key industry performance indicators (KPIs). Participants will submit entries for different award categories based on a judgingcriteria developed by Think Business in collaboration with experts in the various sectors.

Based on the Final Evaluation, the finalists in each category will be selected for the awards. The winners will be announced and awarded during the KTAC Awards Gala Night at the Sarova Whitesands Hotel in Mombasa, Kenya. It will also have a special category for media houses /practitioners who have demonstrated excellence in the reporting and creating awareness on trade facilitation industry. Senior Government officials, development partners, distinguished domestic and foreign guests will be invited to the Award ceremony.

OBJECTIVES OF KTAC

KTAC seeks to recognize the significance and great effort made in the trade and trade logistics industry and to encourage the exchange of best practices in trade and logistics industry. The event also intends to develop a mutual understanding and experience sharing between governments, private sector, development partners and industry players. The event will also highlight the compliance efforts and achievements of the participating institutions.

Information on winning institutions will be shared with experts, practitioners, government, development partners and other stakeholders. Whether an organization wins an award or is nominated for the shortlist, the information may be used on a global scale for marketing and publicity to demonstrate its effectiveness to other stakeholders and grow its business.

The specific objectives are highlighted below:

To reward those that have played a defining role in moving the industry forward and have demonstrated achievement across a wide variety of domains including sustainability, operational excellence and innovation among others.
To provide a platform for stakeholders to nurture ideas and new business relationships by bringing together key decision makers as well as influential players in the industry.
Bring to light the high standards of excellence that companies in trade facilitation have reached and are expected to continue upholding plus the investments these businesses have made towards improving their efficiency.
To document and showcase investments trends in innovation that players have made in improving compliance and efficiency in service delivery
To build a culture of excellence and benchmark best practices in the industry.
Create a vital platform that allows the industry to commend and encourage others to replicate these good practices, thus achieving compliance on a larger scale.
Put in a place a research-based method of assessment in the award process that is objective, verifiable and full proof.

In meeting these objectives, KTAC seeks to:

To create a platform that publicly recognize outstanding best practices
To recognize the contributions such as investments in the trade facilitation
To support and promote trade facilitation industry
To share best practices in trade facilitation.
Creating awareness and publicizing trade facilitation industry

ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS

KTAC is open to both the private and public sector as well us associations, development partners and individuals who have demonstrated excellence and supported trade facilitation in the country. The participants will include local and regional Importers & Exporters, Shipping Lines, Shipping Agents, Cargo consolidators, Clearing & Forwarding Agents, Warehousing Companies, Container Freight Station Operators, Government Agencies Transporters, Banking Institutions, Insurance Companies and the Media among others.

AWARD CATEGORIES

The KTAC Awards are modelled around trade facilitation practices and compliance, service delivery, customer centricity and growth of the industry. The following are the competitive awards categories for the KTAC 2023.

Freight Forwarder Award (Local and Regional)
Cargo Consolidator Award
Warehouse Operator Award
Shipping Agent Award
Marine Cargo Insurance Award
Exporter Award
Importer Award
Cargo Transporters Award
Dry Bulk/ Breakbulk Operator Award
Air Freight (Cargo) Transporter Award
Innovation Award (Private Sector)
Innovation Award (Public Sector)
Best Use of Technology Award
Training Institution Award
Employee Safety and Well Being Award
Best SME In Logistics Award
Risk Management Award
Membership Association Award
Good Governance Award
Partnership Award
Corporate Social Responsibility Award
Media House Award
Overall Trade Facilitator Award (Institution)

PART B – INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES

Rising Star in Trade Facilitation Award
Outstanding Leadership in Trade Facilitation Award
Outstanding Woman in Trade Facilitation Award
Trade Facilitation Lifetime Award

Awards SUBMISSIONS

Entries are open to all registered, licensed and authorized players in Trade Facilitation Sector.
Entries must be for projects, services or initiatives that have been implemented within the previous 24 months.
Each award category has its eligibility and judging criteria.
Submissions and judging will be made through a customized secure developed by Craft Silicon.