The ‘analog’ way of selling the Show must get ‘digital’. Mercifully, the current strategic plan addresses this concern. However, with record attendance and high-level political backing, the question is no longer just about survival—it’s about whether the Nairobi International Trade Fair can evolve fast enough to truly reclaim its place as Kenya’s premier exhibition.
I recently attended the Nairobi International Trade Fair—the event many of us still stubbornly call the ASK Show.
It had been nearly a decade since my last visit, and the changes were striking. The tired buildings and billowing dust I remembered were still there, but so were hundreds of thousands of visitors, a presidential visit, and a palpable sense of ambition.
In 2025, the fair attracted over 600,000 visitors and more than 300 exhibitors. President William Ruto officially opened the event, laying a foundation stone for a Sh5 billion China-Kenya International Commerce Centre at Jamhuri Park.
The theme, “Promoting Climate-Smart Agriculture and Trade Initiatives for Sustainable Economic Growth,” echoed across the grounds. On the surface, it was a triumphant return.
But scratch the surface, and the old questions remain. Whom is the event selling to, and what is it selling? Is it a modern International Trade Fair or the same old National Show with a fresh coat of paint?
Vision 2030 and a $1 trillion market
There is now an undeniable urgency around agriculture.
Vision 2030 deems it so. Programs like Shamba Shape-Up, Seeds of Gold, and campaigns promoting quality seeds fill the airwaves. The warning from former PS Bitange Ndemo—that we will regret turning arable land into gated communities—rings truer than ever.
Africa is being urged to make farming ‘cool’ for its youth, and for good reason. The World Bank projects that meeting the food needs of Africa’s middle class will create a $1 trillion market by 2030.
A warning bell on agricultural trends in Kenya and Africa is ringing somewhere, and growing louder by the day. The average farmer is now 64 years old, a generation that largely still works the land with a jembe. If we fail to make farming attractive and technologically relevant for a ‘digital’ youth, this bell will announce a death knell
With these facts in place, the Nairobi International Trade Fair should be a shining beacon, giving continental direction in matters agriculture. And in 2025, it began to look the part. The livestock auctions—where President Ruto and other leaders bid millions for Borana bulls—grabbed headlines.
But the real story was in the pavilions, where solar-powered irrigation, drought-tolerant seeds, and drone-assisted crop monitoring were on display. Workshops turned the event into a classroom for thousands of farmers.
Read: Educate buyers and see how easy selling gets
Yet, for all this progress—from the mock parliamentary chambers that drew thousands of students at regional shows to the digital platforms like KIAMIS now connecting over 7 million farmers—the fair still struggles with a critical challenge: capturing the imagination of a ‘digital’ youth and a growing, discerning middle class. My own son, the reason I finally attended, was still bored stiff less than an hour in.
The opportunity to make farming ‘cool’ in impressionable minds remains largely untapped.
Benchmarking against a new reality
The Show must change tack.
One thing it should do is benchmark itself against peers—both internationally and locally.
Exhibitions in housing, education, motor, and trade fairs across Kenya have become slick, must-attend events. They are marketed better, more accessible, and often more inviting than the Agricultural Fair that is meant to be the nation’s flagship.
Interestingly, many of these other events have entry fees comparable to or lower than the Nairobi International Trade Fair, yet their offering is often more enticing.
The ASK Show stands for agriculture, which is now, more than ever, at the centre of Kenya’s and Africa’s economic sights. The ‘analogous’ ways of selling itself must therefore get ‘digital’.
Read: Why your exhibition staff matters more than the stand
ASK Show: The Strategic Plan and the future
ASK’s vision is “to provide the best forum for dissemination of information in agriculture, trade and allied sectors, globally.”
The current strategic plan addresses many of the concerns raised in this critique. It can only be hoped that the lost glory—or rather, the potential glory—will be reclaimed by the Society itself, and not simply ceded to a commercial entity.
The foundations are being laid. The government is repurposing ASK facilities, with a massive new commerce centre under construction. Plans are in place to nearly double exhibitor numbers to 400 in the coming years. With a legacy dating back to 1902, the event is not on its deathbed.
The question is no longer whether the Nairobi International Trade Fair can survive, but whether it can truly reclaim its glory as Kenya’s premier exhibition—not just in scale, but in relevance, innovation, and its ability to inspire the next generation.
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