Japan pledges to help Kenya attract investors

By VITALIS KIMUTAI in Yokohama, Japan

Kenya: Japan will use Kenya as a model to implement a strategic master plan to make Africa appealing as an investment destination.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Kenya is among ten countries that had been identified in the continent for support in combating maritime crime, rolling out infrastructural development so as to attract investment from both medium and large private companies.

Abe said that Japan viewed Kenya as a strategic development partner in the region and that it had supported the Government now headed by President Uhuru Kenyatta through the Japan International Co-operation Agency to roll out development projects including roads, agriculture, education and health development.

The PM made the remarks during the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama, Japan.

 “What Japanese companies desire from Africa is very clear; a free and safe business environment and as such Africa countries should do away with excessive regulations that scare away investors and instead move forward with preparing the necessary legal framework to facilitate easier movement of goods and services,” Abe stated.

He said while Africa’s abundant natural resources constitute an important business opportunity for resource-poor Japan, focus on the continent would not only be to extract resources and export but ensure that it contributed to economic growth in Africa.

He said Africa’s markets, now undergoing a tremendous expansion, appeals to Japanese companies beyond natural resources.

“Africa is the continent that sits solidly at the very centre of global distribution. It touches the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean which should be utilised for trade,” he said.