UAE seeks to expand bilateral trade with Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya, 2 December – The United Arab Emirates is exploring new avenues to strengthen relations with Kenya, including expanding bilateral trade between the Arab state and the government of President William Ruto.

Dr. Khalifa Al Rayssi, Chargé d’affaires ad interim at the UAE Embassy in Kenya, said on Thursday during the celebration of its 51st National Day that the UAE is seeking to diversify its economy away from oil products in order to tap more into the Kenyan market, which he referred to as Described as an important commercial center in Africa and a safe haven to other economies and markets in the region.

To achieve this, Al Rayssi said the goodwill of the current regime will be crucial even as the UAE seeks to increase investment in agriculture and technology.

“The UAE had close ties with the previous government, we even have an equally close relationship with the new government, and we aim to strengthen those ties even further,” he said.

The two countries launched negotiations on the United Arab Emirates-Kenya Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (UAEK-CEPA) to boost trade in goods and services and investment for four months while former President Uhuru Kenyatta was still in power Afterwards, he made the above remarks.

Al Rayssi emphasized that Kenya is an important partner as the UAE embarks on the path to building an economy based on knowledge and diversity enhanced by scientific and technological advancements.

“We want to achieve our goals and Kenya’s goals in terms of increasing bilateral trade between the two countries and the new government has been an active supporter of this initiative,” he said.

“We have a lot of visits, business visits, business meetings and businessmen from the UAE doing this kind of collaboration and setting up their businesses in Kenya,” he added.

Total imports from the UAE nearly doubled to Sh178.5 billion in 2021 from Sh92.3 billion in 2020, while exports to Dubai rose to Sh34.6 billion.

He said the UAE is now looking to increase imports and exports from Kenya in the future.

Regarding renewable energy, the Emirati diplomat said that in terms of renewable energy, negotiations are ongoing between investors from the UAE to Kenya.

“In this area (renewable energy), we have plans or visions to strengthen this cooperation in the future,” he said.

He also noted that the UAE intends to assist Kenya in leveraging the Arab country’s geographic and economic status to facilitate access to other markets such as Asia and Europe.

Commenting on the number of flights between the two countries, Al-Rayssi said that the UAE is currently negotiating with the Kenyan authorities, noting the intention to increase flights from the UAE to Kenya in the near future.