By Friday Idachaba
The Nigeria-Kenya Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NiKCCIMA) has secured membership of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), strengthening its platform for expanding trade and investment between both countries.
The admission comes ahead of NiKCCIMA’s maiden Business Forum and formal launch scheduled for October 8, 2026, in Abuja, where the chamber plans to unveil a new framework for connecting Nigerian and Kenyan businesses under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Founder and Global President of NiKCCIMA, Arc. Roberts M. Achanya, said the chamber was admitted alongside the Ikere Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture at NACCIMA’s third-quarter Council meeting in Nsukka, Enugu State.
Achanya described the development as a major milestone for the bilateral chamber, saying the membership would provide stronger institutional backing for its efforts to deepen South-South and intra-African economic cooperation.
He said the chamber would use the platform to support Nigeria’s export drive, expand opportunities for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and contribute to the country’s ambition of building a $1tn economy by 2030.
NiKCCIMA, according to him, was founded on nearly three decades of experience among its members in international trade facilitation, public-private partnerships and cross-border commerce across Africa and Asia.
The chamber operates through a single structure comprising a Global Secretariat and two national chapters, with Nigerian and Kenyan officers sharing authority under its “Two-Key” principle.
While the Nigerian chapter already has legal existence, the Kenyan chapter is completing registration with the Kenyan Registrar of Companies.
Director-General of NiKCCIMA, Alhaji Abdullahi Usman Maikano, said the NACCIMA membership reflected the chamber’s organisational structure and governance, positioning it to facilitate commercial activities along the Nigeria-Kenya trade corridor.
The National Chairman, Alhaji (Dr) Badamasi Burji, who is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Class Group, said the recognition would strengthen the chamber’s Global Bilateral and Advisory Councils, bringing together diplomats, academics, entrepreneurs and traders from both countries.
NiKCCIMA has already begun developing commercial initiatives linking businesses in both countries.
In June, it curated the Nigeria-Kenya Blue and Orange Economy Mission on the sidelines of the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya.
The mission produced preliminary agreements covering a proposed West-East African Maritime Trade Corridor, aquaculture technology transfer and the benchmarking of Nigerian inland-waterways revenue systems against Kenya’s.
The chamber has also activated its Deal Room and One-Desk services to screen, match and facilitate trade opportunities between Nigerian and Kenyan businesses.
Achanya said its new NACCIMA membership would give NiKCCIMA access to the association’s network across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, as well as connections with government agencies, development partners and diplomatic missions.
The chamber’s maiden Business Forum and formal launch will hold on October 8 at Chelsea Hotel, Central Business Area, Abuja.
The event is being co-hosted with the High Commission of Kenya and will be formally launched by Kenya’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Isaac Keen Parashina.
The forum is themed “Nigeria-Kenya Trade Corridor: Pathways for AfCFTA and Bilateral Trade.”
It will also preview a joint NiKCCIMA-Kenya High Commission Trade and Investment Mission scheduled for November.
The mission is expected to bring together Nigerian exporters and processors, alongside a separate delegation of state revenue officials expected to study Kenya’s revenue models.
Following the October launch, Achanya said NiKCCIMA would focus on completing the registration of its Kenyan chapter, onboarding its Global Advisory and Bilateral Councils and preparing for the November trade and investment mission.