President Uhuru Kenyatta invites Arab nations to invest in Kenya’s oil, gas sector

President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) when he arrived for the Afro-Arab summit in Kuwait. (Photo:PSCU)

By Kobia Mwirichia

Kuwait: President Uhuru Kenyatta has reached out to Arab nations to support his Government with the knowledge and technology to conduct cost-effective exploration and extraction of the country’s resources.

President Kenyatta said Kenya recently discovered economically viable reserves of natural resources, among them underground fresh water, coal, oil and natural gas which will be exploited for the benefit of all Kenyans.

“We are already reaching out to various Arab states to encourage their private investors to consider the opportunities in Kenya in the oil, natural gas and energy sub-sectors,” the President said.

President Kenyatta was speaking during the 3rd Afro-Arab Summit in Kuwait. The Summit brings together over 65 Arab and African presidents, Kings and heads of government.

He called on Arab nations to strengthen the supply of crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas, saying energy is a critical component of commodity prices and the cost of living.

The President also said Kenya supports initiatives to reduce climate change and restore the environment in order to boost agriculture, exploitation of natural resources and generation of renewable energy.

“Arab-African partnerships will be helpful in designing and implementing sustainable strategies in this important area,” the President added.

President Kenyatta said Kenya maintains a strong peace-building and peace-keeping tradition and was deeply involved in diplomatic and political efforts to end the civil war in the Sudan and midwife the Republic of South Sudan.

“At the moment, we continue intensive military, diplomatic and political efforts to ease Somalia into a post-conflict, reconstruction-ready territory,” he added.

The President told the Summit, whose theme is “Partners in Development and Investment,” that his Government was committed to the war on international crime and is grateful to the Arab and African nations supporting the anti-terrorism effort.

He encouraged sharing knowledge and experience, building common strategies and working together among states, saying isolation deprives people and nations of useful perspectives and knowledge, leading to wastage and duplication of much-needed strength.

“Chances of moving speedily in the wrong or the most gruelling and perilous directions are increased by relative insularity,” the President said.

President Kenyatta said improved cooperation and strategic bilateral relations between African and Arab nations were beneficial to both regions.

 “Individual nations face various challenges of considerable magnitude.  Our critical commitments - powering development, feeding our people and relieving them from want, keeping our regions and nations peaceful and stable, conserving our natural heritage - become opportunities for great accomplishments if we approach them in the spirit of win-win partnership,” he said.

President Kenyatta pledged his Government’s commitment to the Arab-African Partnership as well as the Joint African-Arab Action Plan 2011-2016 and looked forward to strengthening the partnership.

The President conveyed a message of condolences to The Amir and the people of Kuwait over the death of Dr Abdulrahman Al-Sumait. He was a pioneer humanitarian, who founded Direct Aid and worked in Kenya.

-PSCU