His Excellency the President will on Thursday this week, 5th September, join thousands of Kenyans, foreign traders and exhibitors at the ASK Jomo Kenyatta showground in Mkomani, Mombasa for the official opening of the 2019 Mombasa International Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) Show.
As part of the official opening ceremonies, the President who is also the Patron of the Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) will tour several exhibition stalls, deliver the key note address as well as award outstanding exhibitors.
The 2019 Mombasa ASK Show which will open its doors to the public on Wednesday, 4th September 2019 has attracted over 190 exhibitors from countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Ukraine, China and Zanzibar.
Last week, His Excellency the President traveled to Yokohama, Japan for the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7).
During the conference, which Kenya previously hosted in 2016, the over 30 African Heads of State and Government present made a common call for increased Public Private Partnerships (PPP) between Japanese and African enterprises as the preferred model of delivering sustainable development on the continent.
In his opening address, Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe announced a new initiative by the Japanese Government that seeks to strengthen judicial and law enforcement systems in Africa.
The programme dubbed New Approach for Peace and Stability in Africa (NAPSA) has already admitted 6,076 police officers, public prosecutors and judges from 39 African countries into a capacity building initiative where they will be trained on criminal justice and crime prevention.
Prime Minister Abe further announced a pledge by his government to support the roll out of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programmes in Africa saying the initiative will benefit over three million recipients on the continent.
Through TICAD, PM Abe said Japan had invested over 20 billion dollars in Africa in the last 3 years.
On the sidelines of TICAD7, President Kenyatta and PM Abe led their respective delegations in bilateral talks during which the ongoing roll out of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme and the development of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Dongo Kundu were the main subjects of their discussions.
Prime Minister Abe assured President Kenyatta of Japan’s continued support of Kenya’s ambition to achieve UHC through Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements as part of the Asian country’s pledge to support UHC programmes in Africa.
On the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Dongo Kundu and the construction of the Likoni Gate bridge, the two leaders agreed that with the support of the Japanese Government, Kenya should fast-track the commencement of the two key infrastructure projects.
President Kenyatta thanked Prime Minister Abe for the decision to host TICAD6 in Kenya in 2016 saying the conference helped raise the country’s profile as an investment destination of choice on the African continent.
The President noted that in the last 3 years, the number of Japanese companies setting shop in Kenya significantly rose from 41 to 57, a feat he termed as a success indicator of the growing bilateral ties between Tokyo and Nairobi.
The leaders also discussed ongoing United Nations reforms with President Kenyatta asking his host for Japan’s support for Kenya’s bid to win a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
President Kenyatta concluded by inviting PM Abe to attend the 25th International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD 25) that will be held in Nairobi between 12th and 14th November this year.
While in Japan, the President also held meetings with the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth of Mauritius.
With the UN Secretary General, the President discussed regional peace and security in the Eastern Africa region and invited Mr Guterres to the UN Oceans Conference that Kenya will co-host with Portugal in Lisbon next year.
Prime Minister Jugnauth assured President Kenyatta of his country’s support for Kenya’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council when elections are held in June 2020.
President Kenyatta and PM Jagnauth further agreed to conclude discussions on the “Avoidance of Double Tax Agreement” between Kenya and Mauritius by mid this month and sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Standards by end of September 2019.
