BIK Annual General Meeting 10 Dec, 2021

DATE: FRIDAY, 10TH DECEMBER
VENUE: TAMARIND TREE HOTEL
PAX: 40
FORMAT: HYBRID

Agenda

  1. Welcome by Stephen Fagan: Co-Chair of Business Ireland Kenya
  2. AGM Elements:
  • Review of 2021 activities
  • Presentation of accounts
  • Election of Office Bearers
  • Amendments to the Constitution
  1. Keynote Address by Mr. Edward Mungai – Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) and Q&A
  2. Remarks by H.E Ambassador Fionnuala Quinlan – Embassy of Ireland, Kenya
  3. Closing remarks by Ms. Josephine Ryan, Chair of Business Ireland Kenya and conclusion of the meeting

Minute 1: Welcome by Mr. Stephen Fagan, Co – Chair of Business Ireland Kenya

The BIK Co-Chair, Mr. Stephen Fagan welcomed members to the end-of-year Annual General Meeting and pre-Christmas lunch 2021 giving insight into the event agenda. He noted that though the year had been challenging, BIK had been able to host a number of successful activities through the collaboration and leadership of the Steering and Technical committees. He thanked all members for their participation throughout the year and noted that all were keen to have an active 2022.

Minute 2: Review of BIK 2021 activities by Mr. Jack O’Regan – Secretary, Business Ireland Kenya

The BIK Secretary, Mr. Jack O’Regan, presented the BIK annual report for the year ended. Mr. O’Regan shared key highlights from the year noting that the association had remained active through the following:

  • 6 thematic events (3 virtual, 3 hybrid) that provided the opportunity for attendees to share resources, network and engage with experts in multiple fields.
  • Participation in the Ministerial led UN Security Council visit that saw Simon Coveney T.D. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence officially launch the BIK Doing Business in Kenya Guide.
  • Launch of the Technical Subcommittee tasked with updating members on regulatory and business issues sending out 8 exclusive, highly informative alerts with members.
  • Continued engagement with members through a number of strategies including Member Offers, member promotion via digital platforms and building partnerships with key bodies including the European Business Council and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA)
  • Emigrant Support Programme activities including expanding reach of the network, supporting community projects and contributing to the fight against COVID-19.

The Committees plan to enhance reach and engagement of the network in 2022 remaining keen to engage all members and new participants from the year.

 Minute 3: Approval of Accounts by Mr. Michael Murphy – Treasurer, Business Ireland Kenya

The BIK Treasurer, Mr. Michael Murphy, presented the audited summary accounts for the first 10 months of the year with projected finances as at end year. He noted a decline in subscription income due to the effects of the pandemic on businesses and shared that the Committees would focus on strategies to increase as well as retain membership in 2022. The accounts presented were duly confirmed with Mr. Darren Gillen as proposer and Mr. Michael Craig as seconder.

The full audit will be finalized post-AGM (to reflect expenditure for December) and will be audited at year-end.

Minute 4: Election of Office Bearers

This was presided over by Mr. Darren Gillen, BIK Steering Committee Member. It was noted that Mr. Gillen would officially be stepping down from his role and that the remaining Committee members had kindly agreed to serve another term.

Ms. Jo Ryan was nominated and proposed as the 2022 BIK Chair by Ms. Enid Otieno and seconded by Mr. Martin Ballantyne. Positions for Co-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer were confirmed as follows –

  • Stephen Fagan was nominated and proposed as the 2022 BIK Co-Chair by Mr. Michael Craig and seconded by Ms. Natasha Haavi.
  • Jack O’Regan was nominated and proposed as the 2022 BIK Secretary by Mr. Declan Galvin and seconded by Ms. Nerissa Govender.
  • Michael Murphy was nominated and proposed as the 2022 BIK Treasurer by Mr. Douglas Nyamori and seconded by Mr. John Musau.

The other members of the committee retained their seats in the Steering Committee as follows:

  • Assistant Secretary: Ms. Natasha Haavi
  • Committee Member: Mr. Gordon Odundo
  • Committee Member: Mr. Michael Craig
  • Committee Member: Ms. Enid Otieno
  • Committee Member: Mr. Tony Wood

It is confirmed that Ms. Jo Ryan would take over as primary signatory of the association accounts as at 1st January 2022.

Minute 5: Amendments to the Constitution

Mr. Michael Craig presided over changes to the Constitution with amends to the clauses outlined below:

Clause 6 –  addition of a permanent seat for the Kenya Irish Society on the Steering Committee giving a total of 3 permanent seats i.e. Embassy of Ireland in Kenya (1), Enterprise Ireland (1) and Kenya Irish Society (1).

Clause 12 – Addition of petty cash disbursements from KES10,000 to a sum not exceeding Kshs 25,000.

These changes were confirmed via voting as proposed by Mr. Darren Gillen and Seconded by Ms. Nerissa Govender. 

Minute 6: Keynote Address by Mr. Edward Mungai – Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC)

Mr. Mungai highlighted his extensive background in climate change spanning over 12 years in the sector with his work inspired by a need to improve access to efficient alternatives to firewood for communities in rural areas of the country. This led to a partnership with the World Bank in 2012 that saw him establish an institution at Strathmore University to research opportunities and innovations to meet the challenges of climate change. The organization worked with SMEs, MSMEs contributing to the creation of jobs and increased revenues which in turn further underscored the role of the private sector in combating the effects of climate change. He gave examples of private sector partnerships citing the Climate Launchpad competition run through Climate Kick that includes funding from the Irish Government that works to identify ideas that can be replicated across Africa.

Doing good is good business, a key theme of the day which Mr. Mungai further broke down into 5 factors to incorporate into your business model – increasing company revenue by introducing innovative services and products, making use of tools that not only manage but also reduce costs, evaluating risks tied to company resources, looking into sustainable practices for long term business and building reputation as a responsible company.  

Mr. Mungai gave insight into COP26 sharing milestones towards outcomes of the summit including key steps in 2015 that comprised SDGs (September) and the Paris Climate Agreement (December) resulting in the National determined contribution signed by 196 countries. He noted that Kenya had made strides in the fight introducing the Climate Change Act (2016) and the National Climate Action plan (2018 – 2022) that gives guidelines to businesses as well as committing to a 32% reduction in emissions.

He challenged the private sector to increase their contribution to national efforts and encouraged companies to adopt green strategies in order to widen access to opportunities. In line with COP26, he shared that designing and implementation of projects should focus on carbon credits as a bonus while encouraging a voluntary system to guide this and finalised by stating that adaptation would be a key point to the climate change discussion.

 

The session concluded with a Q&A session that allowed for members to seek clarification and additional information from the presentation. Questions featured areas around carbon credit systems, education of the public on facets consider in regard to climate change and implementation of green strategies at the workplace.

 

Minute 7: Remarks by H.E Ambassador Fionnuala Quinlan – Embassy of Ireland, Kenya

Ambassador Quinlan shared that she was delighted to be attending the BIK AGM and thanked Mr. Mungai for an enlightening keynote address.  Amb. Quinlan welcomed Ms. Josephine Ryan as Chair and took the opportunity to appreciate Mr. Gillen for his service during his tenure congratulating him on his appointment as a Director on the Board of KEPSA responsible for Foreign Investments and of course his pivotal role as Chairman of the EBC. The Ambassador communicated that BIK had shown resilience throughout the pandemic by focusing on strategies to address member concerns and hosting valuable hybrid events that had also expanded reach beyond Kenya.

Amb. Quinlan highlighted key activities from the year including the Ministerial visit that comprised the signing of a Double Taxation Agreement currently under ratification which would lead increased investment business between both countries and the awarding of an Emigrant Support Programme grant to contribute towards BIK activities in support of business and the Irish community in Kenya. The Ambassador gave insight into key programmes led by the Embassy including a partnership with UN Women and the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights focused on women and elections, support to the fight against climate change through funding towards the Climate Launchpad competition and agricultural projects around the country further sharing Ireland’s role on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that also focused on the impact of climate change on international security among others.  

Amb. Quinlan finalized by sharing COVID-19 statistics from Ireland noting that 9 in 10 eligible adults had been vaccinated with a keen focus on the new Omicron Variant to keep the public safe. It was communicated that a 5% increase in GDP had been projected for 2022 with anticipated risks tied to inflation expected due to increased demand and consumer spending. She concluded by stating that opportunities existed for enhanced two-way trade with plans for an Ireland – Africa Economic Forum designed to bring together key economic players in Africa and Ireland.

Minute 8: Closing remarks by Ms. Jo Ryan, Chair of Business Ireland Kenya and conclusion of the meeting

Ms. Jo Ryan concluded the meeting by giving closing remarks and thanking all for their participation throughout the year with special thanks to the Committees for their role, the Embassy for their support, the secretariat for their work and to Mr. Mungai for his address.