Who

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Trafigura is one of the largest physical commodity trading groups in the world. Trafigura’s ambition is to become the corporate responsibility leader within the commodities trading sector. To succeed, it acknowledges the need to build a greater understanding of its impacts on society, the environment and those with whom it works; and to collaborate and build trust with host governments, other corporates and wider civil society. Therefore, each year Trafigura holds at least one Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF) in a region of immediate commercial relevance.

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What

 

Trafigura engaged Rosalind Kainyah and her team at Kina Advisory to organise an MSF in Nairobi, Kenya in 2019. The objectives of the MSF was to understand the dynamics of the Kenyan market; to have conversations to determine how the private sector, in partnership with government, financial institutions and civil society, can help to solve challenges to economic growth and contribute more broadly to the needs of society; and to present Trafigura as a responsible partner in the event that commercial opportunities arose in future. The Kenyan MSF was the first that Trafigura had held in a location in which it does not currently have a physical presence although it has supplied refined products.

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How

 

Rosalind and her team, together with a member of its network of associates in Kenya, organised the half-day Nairobi Multi-Stakeholder Forum. 40 Participants attended the Forum including senior representatives from government, multilateral financial institutions, industry, banks, investors and civil society. The MSF involved presentations from Trafigura on its business, and open and interactive discussions between Trafigura and the participants on Trafigura’s plans and intentions in Africa and on doing business in Kenya.

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Result

 

The Forum provided Trafigura a platform to introduce its business objectives and its approach to corporate responsibility, and to secure feedback from stakeholders as to their expectations of Trafigura. Specific recommendations were made by the participants on how Trafigura could contribute to the growth of the energy sector in Kenya and on how to ensure transparency and integrity in any future business it has in Kenya. In addition, and uniquely, the MSF provided a platform and opportunity for Kenyan stakeholders to discuss among themselves issues that were relevant to economic development and business in Kenya more broadly and on the need to collaborate among themselves to come up with solutions.