Foreign Affairs CS Alfred Mutua has secured more opportunities abroad for Kenyan products and partnerships.
In a statement on Wednesday, the CS held productive bilateral consultations with Jamaican foreign CS Kamina Smith, to deepen diplomatic ties and open up pathways for trade and investment within the Caribbean and the neighbouring countries.
Mutua said Kenya and Jamaica agreed to expand the existing bilateral frameworks to open up opportunities for Kenyan seafarers in Jamaican cruise ships and Kenyan nurses in the health sector in Jamaica.
He also said that Kenya has a market chance of exporting Kenyan tea and coffee to Jamaica.
“Jamaica does not grow tea while they grow a minimal amount of coffee. This presents an opportunity for these products given Jamaica’s population of close to 3 million people,” Mutua said.
Kenya's Bandari College will share its tourism knowledge with Jamaican Maritime University to enhance scholarships, student and faculty exchanges, and joint development of curricula, internships, and training.
The CS also said that Kenya is in the process of expanding its M-Pesa services to Fintech.
“I had the singular privilege to explain to my counterpart how M-Pesa operates and the strides Kenya has made in the financial services sector and the need for further strengthening our collaboration in Fintech,” Mutua said.
To implement these action areas, both ministers agreed to co-host the inaugural session of the Kenya-Jamaica Joint Commission for Cooperation that will be preceded by a high-level visit to Nairobi, Kenya in October.
He said a Memorandum of Understanding between the chambers of commerce and industry need to initiate an instrument to cooperate on trade and investment.
“I held discussions with the President of the Jamaican Chamber of Commerce, Michael McMorris who agreed to my proposals to engage with the Kenyan counterpart with a view to upscale trade and investment between our two countries,” Mutua said.
Further, the CS thanked the government of Jamaica for taking leadership on regional peace and security, particularly in mitigating the Haiti crisis.
“I reassured the Jamaican government of the commitment of the Government of Kenya to support Haiti by lobbying the UNSC to fast-track the legal frameworks for setting up Policing Mechanisms that can take charge and restore order in Haiti,” Mutua said.
He said that Kenya is ready to facilitate the training of the Haitian police force for them to have a strong and effective police force.
During the meeting, they underscored the importance of an effective multilateral financial system to address global challenges in the interest of developing countries.
He said he will ensure the proposals are implemented as quickly.
Mutua also campaigned for Kenyan ambassador for maritime and blue economy Nancy Karigithu, who is vying for the position of secretary general of the International Maritime Organization.