Ishida East Africa, a subsidiary of Ishida Europe, has shown its commitment to responsible and ethical business practice by the company’s inclusion in the inaugural Integrity Index from the British Chamber of Commerce Kenya (BCCK).

The Integrity Index is part of the Business Integrity Initiative (BII) pilot programme, which is being run by the BCCK in partnership with the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the UK Department for International Trade (DIT) and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in Kenya. The Business Integrity Initiative provides practical guidance on addressing and resolving integrity challenges and provides a range of platforms to encourage and increase peer-to-peer private sector engagement. It also works with the Kenyan authorities to promote and support improvements in local market conditions.

Steve Jones, Marketing Director of Ishida Europe, said: “We are delighted to be included in this important Index and proud that the commitment and dedication of our team has been recognised. East Africa is an important and expanding market, and it is essential that we promote good businesses practices to help maximise growth opportunities.”

The Index features 27 companies drawn from 10 sectors which vary in size from 3 to 3,000 employees. Companies were assessed on their track record of working with UK and International businesses as well as their documented policies and procedures.

The BCCK has also launched a report on the Index, which details the practical measures being taken by the companies featured. These are all linked to the BII’s six integrity principles: proportionate procedures, top level commitment, risk assessment, due diligence, communication and training, and monitoring and review.

“We hope that this Index will provide long term benefits to all the featured companies,” commented Farida Abbas, CEO, BCCK. “A listing here is external recognition of the efforts being made to run a trusted and ethical business. We aim to prove that ethical business pays, so we will be signposting these businesses to any UK organisations looking to partner with Kenya-based companies.”