Tag Archives: Singapore

Politics & Govt

President Kenyatta Urges Asia To Use Kenya As Gateway To Africa’s Vast Market

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President Uhuru Kenyatta today called on Asian economies to use Kenya as a gateway to Africa’s market of over 1.2 billion people that is worth more than US$ 29 trillion.
President Kenyatta said Kenya is the best entry point for Asian businesses that want to trade in Africa with the coming into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).

“I invite you to use Kenya as a gateway to the African continent. It is not only one of the top-ten fastest growing economies in Africa but is also one of the most pro-business Nations on the continent,” said President Kenyatta today.
The President made the statement when he delivered the keynote address at the Singapore Summit 2019 on Saturday morning.

The Singapore Summit, started in 2012, is one of the foremost events that brings together business and thought leaders from Asia and around the world to discuss global trends in business, finance and geopolitics.
Addressing the business leaders gathered at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, President Kenyatta said Kenya is a leader in pro-business reforms.
He said the country has scored huge improvements in the World Bank’s Ease-of-Doing-Business index, jumping 107 places since 2012 to its present position of number 61 globally and 3rd in Africa.

The President said Kenya is also the leading country in Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of ICT and technology-penetration, FinTech and Financial Inclusion.
Kenya’s mobile phone subscriptions currently stands at 95 percent of its population of more than 45 Million.

The country has also leveraged on its strength in ICT and mobile cellular subscription to become the global leader in mobile money and mobile banking.
“Kenya’s world-famous M-Pesa mobile money platform has promoted financial inclusion in our country and provided a template for reaching conventionally-unbanked populations across the region,” said the President.

He urged Asian investors to seek partnerships to access the vibrant Kenyan market and the wider continental market.
The President suggested several crucial steps to build strong foundation for the partnership between Singapore and Kenya as well as between the Asian and African continents.
He said Kenya and Singapore should strengthen cooperation in building and expansion of transport, communication, energy, housing, and ICT infrastructure in Kenya;
The second suggestion by the President was facilitation of mergers or collaborative arrangements between Asian companies and Kenyan companies; and promotion of linkages between Micro, Small, and Medium-Size Enterprises (MSMEs), on both sides of the Indian Ocean.

President Kenyatta said there should be collaboration between Asia and Africa in cultural exchanges, capacity building and information sharing as the foundations for forging a new path of productivity and commerce.
After delivering his keynote address, President Kenyatta joined the chairman of the summit Mr Ho Kwan Ping for a panel discussion on Kenya’s role in promoting closer partnership between Africa and Asia.

The President said Kenya’s skilled human capital, thriving service industry, its leading ICT sector and its strategic location make the country the right gateway into the African continent.
He said Kenya and Singapore are exploring the modalities for direct flights between the two countries. He said like Singapore, Kenya is a hub for the whole of Africa and is connected to all parts of the continent and Europe as well as America.

President Kenyatta’s visit to Singapore builds on the successful Afro-Asia Fintech Festival 2019, which was co-hosted by Kenya and Singapore in Nairobi in July 2019.
The President was accompanied by Central Bank Governor Dr Patrick Njoroge, Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga and Amb Johnson Weru, the Director Economic Affairs and Commercial Diplomacy Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Politics & Govt

UHC Will Help End Extreme Poverty, President Kenyatta Says

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President Uhuru Kenyatta has said the Kenyan government is rolling out the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) program as part of a grand plan to transform the county into a newly industrializing, middle income country by 2030.

The President said access to affordable and quality health services will help end extreme poverty and improve productivity especially in low and middle income countries.

“My Government’s Vision 2030 aims to transform Kenya into a newly industrializing, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by 2030.

“We believe that improving the health and welfare of citizens lays guarantees for economic growth and competitiveness by ensuring healthy productive populations,” the President said.

President Kenyatta spoke at the high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) held on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, USA said the Kenyan government is rolling a UHC pilot phase targeting 3.2 million people.

He said the pilot phase now in its nineth month is focused on strengthening primary health care as well as identifying best practices, lessons and gaps.

The President who shared lessons from the pilot with the world leaders attending the forum said political commitment was key to the success of UHC.

“This commitment must embody a shared vision of all political leaders and actors, especially in countries with more than one level of government like Kenya.

“Furthermore, the commitment will only be impactful if translated from a shared vision to collaborative action,” the President said.

He said the largest dividend that can be gained from political commitment is the mobilisation of community and citizen ownership of UHC.

“The principle of ‘leave no one behind’, needs to resonate with each and every citizen, thus reinforcing the much needed social accountability for the success of service delivery interventions,” President Kenyatta said.

The Kenyan leader said the harmonisation and alignment of all actions and interventions by health sector actors is key to the success of UHC.

He said the Kenyan UHC pilot phase has provided encouraging feedback that has reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to make further investments in affordable health care.

“It continues to be work-in-progress. We are inching closer to ‘leave no-one behind’ with special focus on the most vulnerable populations,” the President said.

He said the high-level meeting was an opportunity to renew and galvanize global political commitment while creating more partnerships towards realization of UHC for all.

While reiterating Kenya’s support and commitment to the global efforts towards the achievement of UHC and SDGs, the President said his administration is keen on forging partnerships that will assist it to invest more in health especially in primary health care services.

Earlier, President Kenyatta held bilateral talks with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during which the two leaders discussed Kenya’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the period 2021 to 2022 as well as the ongoing UN reforms especially Nairobi’s desire to host a UN Global Service Delivery Model Centre (GSDM).

The President informed the Secretary General of the recent African Union’s endorsement of Kenya as Africa’s candidate for the UNSC seat saying the country is “finalizing on a comprehensive agenda for the security council membership.”

He said the agenda will address some of the current global challenges and ensure that Kenya makes considerable contributions to global peace, security and sustainable development.

On GSDM, the President welcomed the institutional reforms of the UN saying they are aimed at making the global body more efficient, effective and accountable.

He said Kenya welcomes the Secretary General’s proposal of Nairobi as one of the four global GSDM centres.

“I want to thank you for your confidence in Kenya and to assure you that Kenya will continue to give its full support to this initiative and to the overall reform process underway at the United Nations,” the President assured Mr Guterres.

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Politics & Govt

President Kenyatta Holds Bilateral Talks With Singapore PM Lee Hsien; Here is what was discussed

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President Uhuru Kenyatta today held bilateral talks with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong where the two leaders agreed to boost trade and cooperation between Kenya and the Asian nation.

President Kenyatta, who is on a visit to attend the Singapore Summit 2019, said Kenya and Singapore have led the way in developing Afro-Asian relations.

The Singapore Summit, started in 2012, is one of the foremost events that brings together business and thought leaders from Asia and around the world to discuss global trends in business and geopolitics. President Kenyatta is the keynote speaker at the event.

He cited the recent hosting in Nairobi of the first Afro-Asian Fintech Festival which was co-sponsored by the Central Bank of Kenya and its Singaporean equivalent — the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
He noted that in June 2018, the Enterprise Singapore Overseas Office was launched in Nairobi to promote trade between the two countries.

President Kenyatta said Kenya looks at Singapore as a “role model for what can be achieved through conscientious planning, diligent execution of people-centric policies, and the unwavering commitment to eliminating graft and inefficiency.”
“Taking heed of the examples set by Singapore and other Nations that have emerged from low-income nation status, Kenya has embarked on a transformative agenda to turn our Country into a newly industrializing middle-income country by the year 2030, through implementation of the Kenya Vision 2030,” said the President.

The President said his Administration has picked four main areas from the Vision 2030 to increase its focus in the short-term.
He called on Singapore and other Asian countries to invest in Kenya’s Big Four Agenda areas of focus that include Affordable Housing, Food Security, Jobs Creation through promotion of Manufacturing, and Universal Health Coverage.
“Exciting opportunities abound for Singaporean, Asian and other Business and Investment players in those four areas,” said the President.

President Kenyatta called for investments in Kenya’s plan to build new metropolitan areas and to expand existing ones in order to build 500,000 new housing units and their attendant supporting infrastructure by the year 2022.
He also called on Singaporean investors to partner with Kenya in the broad expansion of Agricultural Sector and Processing through the utilization of new technologies and techniques.

“To Singapore, Asia and the rest of the World, our Nation’s message is: Kenya is open for business and investment for players with a strategic interest in tapping into one of Africa’s fastest growing economies as well as the enormous potential of the entire Eastern and Central Africa Region,” said the President.
He proposed the establishment of a Joint Trade Committee to enhance bilateral trade and investment ties.
Prime Minister Lee said Singapore is keen on increasing its cooperation with Kenya and was also very interested in learning from Kenya’s experience in harnessing mobile money technology to enhance economic inclusion.

PM Lee said Singapore will support Kenya in improving the efficiency of its ports as the East African nation positions itself to serve the eastern and central African region effectively.
Earlier in the day, President Kenyatta visited the Housing Development Board in Singapore where he was taken on a tour of the types of houses that the Government builds and subsidises for its citizens.

80 percent of the people of Singapore live in Government built houses which are heavily subsidised by the State.
The President was taken through details of how Singapore has managed to maintain high standards in its housing programs to ensure that citizens get quality houses under the program.

The President also visited the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) which manages one of the most efficient and busiest seaports in the world.
The Kenya Ports Authority is already working in partnership with PSA to improve the efficiency of Mombasa Port, which like Singapore is a hub port.
President Kenyatta said he is looking forward to see improvement in the operational capacity of Mombasa Port through its partnership with PSA.

The President was accompanied by Central Bank Governor Dr Patrick Njoroge and Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga