Conference remarks · 5 May 2023
On behalf of the Government and the people of Kenya, I am delighted and deeply honoured to receive and welcome H.E. Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, to the Republic of Kenya.
Just over a month ago, the Chancellor warmly welcomed me to Berlin on my inaugural visit to Germany as President. Today, it is my great privilege to reciprocate by warmly welcoming His Excellency the Chancellor. Karibu. Vilkomen.
The rich historical ties between Kenya and Germany date back to 1963 when, upon our attainment of independence, Germany became the first State to recognise our newlyborn nation. That marked the beginning of a deep friendship that has grown stronger every passing year. Our common values and cooperation in diverse spheres of endeavor include energy, climate action, agriculture, health, trade and investment, and education.
My recent visit to Berlin in March, and the Chancellor’s return visit today, have taken place at a time when our two countries are commemorating 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The Chancellor and I have had fruitful discussions and we have exchanged views on the strategies and pathways through which we can deepen the excellent relations between our countries. I briefed the Chancellor of the government’s progress in improving the business environment, which has made Kenya significantly more attractive to German investors.
I encourage the business delegation, which has accompanied the Chancellor, to explore and exploit the huge untapped investment opportunities in Kenya. I also invite them to take advantage of Kenya and Nairobi’s natural geo-strategic advantage and use our capital as the gateway and hub for their regional and continental investments. I assure the business delegation, on behalf of the entire German business community, that Kenya will support German investors with incentives to engage successfully with investment opportunities in our country.
In our meeting, the Chancellor and I have agreed on a number of issues: i) The Chancellor and I discussed in detail employment opportunities for 250,000 professional, skilled and semiskilled Kenyans in Germany, to meet Germany’s huge labour requirements. I have also urged Chancellor Scholz to review and ease immigration laws to enable Kenyans find employment in Germany. We have therefore agreed to establish a technical team from my office and the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Labour in both countries, to initiate discussions, expeditiously navigate the procedures and formulate an appropriate framework for the export of labour to Germany. ii) The Chancellor and I also had the opportunity to exchange views on the best modalities of increasing capacity of our TVET institutions. Through German support, we have been able to enhance training opportunities offered to Kenyan youth. Germany has also offered to support, expand and upgrade our centers of excellence by increasing them from 3 to 7. Similar support will be extended to another 60 TVET institutions. iii) To bridge the language gap, we agreed to introduce the teaching and learning of German in basic education institutions, TVETs and other institutions of higher learning. Germany therefore agreed to support us in training teachers. iv)In addition, we agreed on the need to align, as much as possible, the Kenyan and German TVET curricula. v) In our discussions, we further agreed to establish a twin institutions’ framework for pairing our TVET colleges with selected TVET colleges in Germany, and thus facilitate the anchoring of labour migration from Kenya to Germany upon graduation. vi)Chancellor Scholz and I have agreed to expedite the establishment of a framework for robust exchange programmes between Kenyan and German MSMEs. As you may know, MSMEs drive both the Kenyan and German economies. What we seek is synergy to enrich learning and grow the economy from the bottom-up. vii) Germany has agreed to enhance the capacity of the Financial Inclusion Fund, also known as the Hustler Fund, to increase affordable and easy access to credit for unbanked MSMEs at the bottom of the economic pyramid. viii) Kenya is Germany’s most important trading parter in East Africa. However, the trade balance is in favor of Germany. In 2021, Kenya’s exports to Germany were worth $130 million, while imports amounted to $392 million. ix)I have therefore called on the Chancellor to review tariff barriers and allow Kenyan products to enter the German as well as the European market. The Chancellor has agreed to support Kenya’s efforts to conclude negotiation of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the East African Community and the European Union. x) Our grid is 92% green, and our commitment is to achieve 100% green energy by 2030. While our current grid is 3 Gigawatts, the potential is huge, and our ambition is to make a quantum leap to 10 Gigawatts by 2040. Germany has been a steadfast partner in our renewable energy journey, and I express my appreciation for their re-affirmed commitment towards increasing the capacity of the Olkaria Geothermal Station.
On the existential climate crisis, we shared our concern of the effects of climate change on livelihoods, communities and nations. We underscored the urgent need for concerted efforts to reverse the effects of climate change. In this regard, we agreed to work together in the search for solutions and deepen our collaboration in climate-resilient development and renewable energy, including production of green hydrogen and sustainable agriculture.
Additionally, I emphasized the need to move beyond the debate on adaptation and loss and damage, and to engage in a candid conversation on climate finance and investment, which would unlock our potential for green economic growth.
Equally, the current international financial system is inadequate in dealing fairly with multifaceted global crises, including recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic, the climate emergency and the debt crisis in the Global South. I, therefore, urged the Chancellor to support the reforms of the international financial system. This system must recognise our potential and ensure a win-win outcome, providing access to affordable, adequate and sustainable financing that is delivered in a timely manner.
As part of our effort to establish a common African position on climate change at COP28, Kenya will host the Africa
Climate Action Summit on September 4th-6th 2023. I am pleased to inform you that, as our friend and partner, Germany has committed to provide financial and technical assistance for the summit. Kenya has also confirmed its official joining of the Climate Club Initiative, which calls for the expeditious implementation of the Paris Agreement.
We also had an opportunity to discuss regional peace and security and shared our concerns regarding the unfortunate events in Sudan and their spillover effects to the region. We agreed on the immediate need for unconditional cessation of hostilities, humanitarian aid access and protection of civilians.
We underscored the need for the international community to support Kenya, IGAD and the African Union in ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict.
I urged Chancellor Scholz to use his voice and Germany's influence in various platforms, including the EU, G7, G20 and the UN, to focus global attention on the forgotten conflicts in Africa in general and the Horn of Africa in particular.
On Ukraine, Kenya has consistently underscored the principles of the United Nations Charter which call for respect for territorial integrity, sovereignty and peaceful resolution of disputes.
We have also repeatedly called for the end to the conflict and a return to the path of peaceful resolution through dialogue.
To strengthen and solidify relations between our countries, we have agreed to explore a new phase that will be anchored on a Strategic Bilateral Partnership Framework.
I wish to thank Chancellor Scholz for engaging candidly, in the spirit of goodwill and commitment, to enhance mutual benefits. I also take this opportunity to once again express our collective appreciation of his very welcome visit. Finally, I reaffirm Kenya’s commitment to deepen and strengthen relations with Germany and look forward to many more engagements in future.
I thank you.