Kenya and Senegal have agreed to work together in championing for the integration of Africa.
President William Ruto and his Senegalese counterpart, President Macky Sall, said they will strive to take common positions on issues affecting the Continent.
The two leaders spoke on Thursday after holding talks at the Presidential Palace in Dakar.
President Ruto said the move will further Africa’s agenda and consolidate its position at the United Nations.
“We must unite and amplify our voices at the global level,” he said.
On his part, President Sall called on African countries to abolish visa requirements for Africans to ease the movement of people and factors of production.
President Ruto said Kenya and Senegal are exploring the possibility of a visa-free regime for citizens of the two countries.
He explained that his Senegalese counterpart had committed to support the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
President Ruto Opens First Kenya Embassy in French-speaking West Africa
The Government is enhancing its diplomatic ties with African States to unlock trade and investment opportunities for Kenyans.
President William Ruto has said the Government is engaging other African governments to nurture mutually beneficial relations.
Speaking during the official opening of the Kenya Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, the President assured investors that the Government would support them to access investment opportunities across the continent.
The Kenyan chancery in Senegal is the first in Francophone Africa and will serve the region.
President Ruto was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei and Kenyan Ambassador to Senegal Purity Muhindi.
At the same function, the President announced that Kenya will open an embassy in Rabat, Morocco, later in the year.
“We will continue to push the limits for our investors and businesspeople to access more markets in Africa,” he said.
The President noted that Africa will account for 25 per cent of the world population by 2050, a market Kenya must plan and strategise for.
Later, President Ruto met Kenyans living in Senegal.
The embassy, he added, will help ease services and be a link to the government of Senegal and the private sector.
Ruto: value-addition will fetch agriculture more cash
President William Ruto has challenged African leaders to take the discourse on agriculture beyond production to value addition and manufacturing.
He said Africa has the potential to produce surplus food and process for export.
The Head of State noted that this will generate more income and create jobs, especially for the youth.
Speaking during the Dakar 2 Summit – Feed Africa in Senegal on Wednesday, President Ruto said these are the initiatives that will transform Africa.
“We should not be discussing about food shortage 60 years after independence.“
In a panel discussion of Heads of State and Governments, President Ruto said the upscaling of agriculture in the continent would require the right input, technology, enhanced irrigation and mechanisation.
“Young people are also critical in the revival of our agriculture. Crucially, the greater the infusion of technology, the better the returns.”
He warned against dependence on rain-fed agriculture saying many countries in Africa experience hunger due to this.
Irrigation, the President explained, will assure Africa of enough food for consumption and export.
“There is no magic to enhanced agricultural production; more fertiliser use translates to more production.”
Senegal President said Macky Sall, the co-convener of the summit, said it was regrettable that Africa had become dependent on food imports despite its great agricultural potential.
He called on African Governments and development partners to work together to reverse the trend.
“African should learn to feed itself and contribute to feeding the rest of the world,” he said. “We need to allocate at least 10 per cent of our budget to agriculture.”
African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina called on African leaders to utilise aridable land to feed the continent and end the existing dependence on food imports.
“What Africa does with agriculture today will determine the future of food security in the world,” he added.
He said AfDB will invest the 10 billion USD in the next five years to support food production in Africa.
Kenya and Zimbabwe to expand trade ties
Kenya and Zimbabwe have committed to enhance diplomatic ties anchored on expansion of trade, agriculture and investment.
The commitment was made at a meeting between President William Ruto and the Zimbabwean leader, H.E Emmerson Mnangagwa, in Dakar, Senegal.
The two leaders stressed the need for African countries to trade more among themselves through the Africa Continental Free Trade Area.
Kenya and Mozambique have agreed to boost trade and agricultural ties
President William Ruto and President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique said the two countries will prioritize agricultural value addition, especially in the tea, sugar and coffee sectors.
President Ruto emphasized the importance of regional blocs in the facilitation of the movement of goods and people.
The President expressed the need for all member countries of the East African Community (EAC), Southern Africa Development Community (SADC (and Common Markets for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to ratify the Tripartite Alliance which brings together the three regional blocs.
“This will provide an improved framework for trade and investment without unnecessary hurdles,” President Ruto said.
Source: State House Kenya
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