Propak East Africa 2023 Review

The Institute of Packaging Professionals Kenya (IOPPK) launched the Kenya Packaging Summit during the recent Propak East Africa exhibition held at the Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi.

The summit brought together industry professionals, stakeholders and experts to collaborate on common packaging-related issues under the theme of ‘Sustainable Packaging for Brands and Exports’. It discussed new technologies, best practices and regulations for sustainable packaging in the context of brands and exports.

The IOPPK recently celebrated 10 years of existence and aims to provide education and training to enhance skills levels in the packaging industry. To further develop these skills, it is essential to bring parties together to discuss common challenges. Therefore, the Kenya Packaging Summit will become an annual event, serving as a platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing among professionals.

The summit was a hybrid event that included speakers from various backgrounds such as the Kenyan government, academia and industry players, as well as online speakers including the president of the World Packaging Organisation (WPO), president of the African Packaging Organisation (APO), chief of UNIDO and Pakkaus (the Finnish Packaging Association).

The welcome speech was given by sponsor Angela Kinyua, portfolio director of Montgomery Group East Africa, who emphasized that the Propak East Africa organising team values and appreciates its partnerships with IOPPK and other packaging value chain role players.

WPO president professor Pierre Pienaar added: ‘Kenya leads the way in this forum of packaging summit in East Africa. It shows the importance that the region places on packaging to ensure it stays abreast of what is happening globally.’

In his opening remarks, CEO Joseph Nyongesa, stated: ‘There are many opportunities in packaging, which I am sure this summit has opened the way for and it’s just the beginning.’

As part of the programme, IOPPK, the APO and the WPO hosted the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), led by Chief Ali Badarneh, to discuss sustainable food packaging in developing countries. During the discussion, UNIDO congratulated IOPPK and WPO for taking up the challenge of advancing the packaging conversation in the region. Ali emphasized the significance of the topic: ‘This is a very challenging topic that tends to be lost in all the high-level topics in Africa,’ and noted that it is an important milestone to take the lead and advance packaging in the region. He also reiterated UNIDO’s support for IOPPK’s efforts and commitment to building on the outcomes of the packaging summit.

The summit also marked the launch of the Ken StarPak National Awards and Student Awards aimed at promoting packaging excellence. Soha Atallah, VP of the WPO, WorldStar Awards coordinator and international packaging expert, was present to launch the awards and stated: ‘I think it is time for Africa to recognise the packaging excellence of Kenya and to open up the continental and global stage for students and professionals.’

CEO Joseph Nyongesa explained that the Ken StarPack National Packaging Awards, to be launched in 2023, aims to take the country back to basics and develop an awards programme from the bottom up. The winners of the Ken StarPack National Awards will have the opportunity to enter the Afristar Awards, which recognise outstanding packaging across the continent. The packs that receive continental recognition are then eligible to participate in the WPO’s WorldStar Awards and/or the WPO WorldStar Students Awards, which offer international recognition.

The feedback from online participants suggests that the event was well received, with engaging one-on-one presentations and professional online speakers. Suggestions for the next event include more real examples of packaging, converters exhibiting their package formats and more on-ground presentations. Some participants also suggested a change in location and a reduction in online presentations.

Overall, the success of the Kenya Packaging Summit 2023 highlights the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing among industry professionals to promote sustainable packaging practices, Joseph noted. The next event is planned for 11 March, 2024 and will continue to serve as a platform for advancing the packaging conversation in the region.

Successful showcase

This year’s Propak East Africa featured 150 exhibitors from over 35 countries, with 93% stating that they met the goals set for exhibiting and 86% believing that their sales would increase as a result of taking part in the show. Ninety-four percent of the 4 622 visitors achieved their goals for attending the show, which ranged from sourcing new products or suppliers (60%) and gathering market information (31%) to networking (54%) and attending a conference session (23%), which featured 26 global experts.

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