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Jaswinder BEDI, EBS

BOARD CHAIR – KEPROBA

Distinguished industrialist and entrepreneur Jaswinder (Jas) Bedi has established himself as a key player in the textile industry. He is Managing Director (MD) of Bedi Investments, one of the leading manufacturers of textiles and garments across sub-Saharan Africa.

Jas is Executive Director of Fine Spinners Uganda, a manufacturer of premium quality cotton textiles; sustainably produced and globally exported from the Pearl of Africa.

An expert in matters export and income generation, Bedi was appointed Chair of the Board of Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency (KEPROBA), which was established following a merger of Export Promotion Council (EPC) and Brand Kenya Board in 2019.

KEPROBA’s mission is to Brand Kenya, Export Kenyan and Build Kenya, and with Jas leading its Board, 2022 proved to be a successful year for the state-owned enterprise (SOE).

KEPROBA represented Kenya at the quinquennial World Expo, Expo 2020, which was held in Dubai from October 2021 to March 2022, themed, ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’. Over 200 countries and organisations from all over the world participated, giving a chance to ‘experience the world in one place’.

Aiming to position Kenya as a hub for trade, investment, tourism and culture, KEPROBA held various activities at the Expo 2020 grounds. For instance, the Run with the Champions marathon, the first ever Expo Run. KEPROBA sponsored eight Kenyan Olympic athletes to showcase the country’s global prowess in running.

In addition, to boost trade with the Gulf region, especially the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the SOE distributed 250,000 roses for Valentine’s Day during the Kenya Week. The high-level business-to-business (B2B) forum brought together over 250 executives.

To promote peaceful 2022 General Elections, KEPROBA partnered with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to educate the electorate through strong advocacy campaigns using various social media platforms. These campaigns include: Kenya Sihami, Elections Bila Noma and MKenya Daima: Nitatenda Wajibu Wangu.

Upon the election of the new government in 2022, the KEPROBA Board held a two-day board and management retreat to align its work plan to the Kenya Kwanza manifesto, in tandem with the Government of Kenya’s (GoK) expectation on the delivery of export-led growth, highlighted in the manifesto.

The KEPROBA Board has challenged the management to reduce the balance of trade in goods between imports and exports, which has negatively impacted the Kenya Shilling. The trade deficit which used to traditionally be around USD 10 billion, in favour of imports pre-COVID 19, has increased to USD 15 billion, consequently putting unnecessary pressure on the exchange rate. The focus of the board remains clear: Kenyan exports need to grow by 25 percent year on year, to reduce this trade imbalance to zero by 2030.

Along the journey of achieving import and export trade balance, the KEPROBA board has cited the comparative and competitive advantages that Kenyan exports hold with duty-free market access in various economic blocs. The summary is highlighted below:

• East African Community (EAC) region: 300 million people and USD 300 billion in gross domestic product (GDP), totalling seven member states.

• Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region: 600 million people and USD 800 billion in GDP, totalling 21 member states.

• Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) region, which is a three-way market of Southern African Development Community (SADC), EAC and COMESA.

• African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) region: 1.2 billion people and USD 3.5 trillion in GDP, totalling 54 states.

• European Union (EU) region: 450 million people and USD 16 trillion in GDP, totalling 27 states.

• United Kingdom (UK) FTA (recently concluded): 67 million people and USD 3.1 trillion in GDP.

• United States of America (USA) under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA): 330 million people and USD 23 trillion in GDP.

Furthermore, to build the capacity of Kenyan exporters on e-commerce, on December 13th 2022, KEPROBA signed a partnership pact with International Trade Centre (ITC), a joint subsidiary organ of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN). The partnership provides an avenue to enhance market access for Kenyan exporters, by training them on how they can use e-commerce tools to access markets globally. It also serves to raise awareness and skill levels. The courses are self-taught, and the participants conclude the training within two weeks, with a certificate issued on completion.

This year, to secure a greater export market, KEPROBA has decided to alter its modus operandi by opening export warehouses in various countries, under the ‘Kenya House’ model. Under this strategy, KEPROBA will help facilitate Kenyan exporters to various deliberate markets, storing Kenyan-made export products.

Bedi’s transformational board leadership, coupled with the exemplary executive team, ensures that KEPROBA is in line with its vision to transform Kenya into a top global brand.

Aside from his chairmanship at KEPROBA, Jas is Vice Chair of the KEPSA Board and Board Member of the Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC).

In the past, he has held numerous board positions. Some of these include: Chair- African Cotton and Textile Industries Federation (ACTIF) 2006 – 2019; Chair- EPC 2016 – 2019; President- International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) 2016 – 2018; Vice Chair- East African Business Council (EABC) 2012 – 2014; and Chair- Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) 2010 – 2012.

Bedi graduated as a textile technologist in the UK in 1984. Over the years, he has attended various executive business courses at the Harvard Business School (HBS) and International Institute of Management Development (IMD).

Jas’s entrepreneurial brilliance has been recognized by the GoK, where HE President Mwai Kibaki awarded him the Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS) in 2012. In 2016, he was nominated as a finalist in the Africa CEO Forum Awards, and was subsequently proclaimed as Sikh CEO of the year. Thereafter in 2017, HE President Uhuru Kenyatta decorated Bedi with an even higher award, the Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear (EBS).

On 14th February 2023, Bedi was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Honoris Causa (Honorary PhD) by the Governing Body of Desh Bhagat University in Punjab, for his exceptional contribution in the field of Expansion of the Export Market.

Jas Bedi accurately describes himself on his LinkedIn bio as a dynamic personality with high ambition to make a difference (MAD) to the society and community.