NAIROBI-Kenya will consider Singapore’s strategic location in South East Asia as a gateway to its products.
President William Ruto said the move is guided by the Government’s commitment to expanding lucrative markets for its agricultural produce. He said South Asia, made up of 10 countries and with a population of approximately 670 Million, offers Kenya a “unique and massive” market to sell its goods.
He invited Singapore’s private sector to invest in Kenya’s under-exploited transport and logistics sectors.
“This will check the low trade volumes and scale up our investments, thereby reducing the current trade deficit with Singapore,” said President Ruto.
He made the remarks on Thursday at State House in Nairobi while addressing the media in the company of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Earlier, the two leaders held bilateral talks and witnessed the signing of MoUs on ICT, climate change and skills development.
President Ruto said the ICT agreement will facilitate cooperation on cybersecurity, digitisation of government services and ICT capacity building.
He explained that the MoU on skills development will facilitate collaboration in human resource capacity building for civil servants and students.
The Prime Minister noted that the signing of a climate change pact will build a collective action to deal with the “greatest existential threat to mankind”.
He appreciated the deep and warm relations that Singapore enjoys with Kenya.
“Our ties have been growing. We will further this by pursuing more economic opportunities that will stimulate our shared prosperity,” said Mr Loong.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Attorney General – Justin Muturi, Cabinet Secretaries Foreign Affairs Alfred Mutua, Information Communications Technology (ICT) and Digital Economy Eliud Owalo, Public Service Aisha Jumwa, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Saipan Tuya, among other leaders were present.