An enabling supply chain environment has helped Kenya to bypass South Africa in the latest world competitive rankings (WCR) report, thanks in part to logistical efficiency and continued progress related to freshly cut flower exports.
Although Kenya didn’t feature in last year’s WCR report by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), the East African nation has outperformed its peers on the continent in this year’s findings.
Measured using metrics across the public and private sectors, Kenya is placed 56th on the rankings, compared with South Africa – 64th out of 69 economies.
Kenya’s flower sector, heralding its second-biggest export commodity after tea, is one of the areas of business where the public- and private sector have pulled together to pull out all the stops.
With daily flights to New York, Amsterdam and Liège, to name a few airfreight destinations, freshly cut flower deliveries meet time-sensitive deadlines for sales in the Netherlands, UK, Germany, US, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Japan, China and Australia.
In 2023, 238 000 metric tonnes of flowers were exported, increased to 250 000 metric tonnes in 2024.
According to the International Centre for Trade Transparency and Monitoring (ICTTM), Kenya’s expanded growth in the sector, behind leading exporters the Netherlands, Colombia and Ecuador, is based on cold-chain optimization, high-speed cooling, increased air- and sea-freight services, and direct sales.
All these capacity-enhancing facets, based as they are on infrastructure, systems and services as well as policy and procedures, are metrics used by the IMD to compile its annual WCR reports.
Both the ICTTM and trade publication Food Business Africa have reported that Kenya’s flower sector has done a couple of things to propel the sector, namely progress through cold-chain logistics.
Investment in modern refrigeration, temperature-controlled storage, and reefer freight have been essential. Flowers are kept at 2–5°C from farm to market, reducing spoilage and extending shelf life.
Enhanced cooling technologies and expanded cargo handling at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and European hubs have tripled handling capacity and reduced transit time.
Streamlined processes at JKIA and destination airports ensure flowers are quickly processed and loaded, minimizing delays.
The diversification of transportation has also had a hand in sector-based progress.
While air freight remains dominant due to speed, there is a growing shift toward sea freight for sustainability and cost-effectiveness, especially for less time-sensitive shipments.
As for direct sales instead of conventional means, Kenyan growers increasingly bypass traditional auctions to sell directly to supermarkets, hotels and online platforms, particularly in the UK and EU, improving profit margins and market responsiveness. – Supported by various sources.
