With only weeks to go before President Barack Obama arrives in Kenya for the annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit and bilateral meetings with President Uhuru Kenyatta, it is understandable that excitement is mounting ahead of this pivotal and historic visit.
This trip will be hugely important for Kenya and not just for sentimental reasons. The decision to host the sixth annual summit in Nairobi underscores the progress Kenya has made in becoming a regional hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. With its pleasant, year-round climate, exceptionally hard working and well educated human resource base, relatively advanced infrastructure and open system of government, Kenya has established itself as the go-to destination not just for tourists, but for investors seeking a foothold in a rising continent.
It is no wonder that the American business magazine, Fortune, recently named Kenya as one of the “seven smart bets” to which companies should turn for strategic investment around the world.
Indeed, commercial ties between the US and Kenya have never been stronger. In the last few years, General Electric, Google, IBM, Visa International and Money Gram are among the many blue chip American firms which have established regional hubs in Kenya.
American support in the health sector, especially to help in tackling malaria and HIV, remains strong while more Kenyan companies are finding lucrative opportunities in the American market, not least through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) initiative.
The agenda for this year’s summit is strengthening collaboration between the US and countries in sub-Saharan Africa to accelerate economic growth, bolster democratic institutions and improve security.
This will be the first time the six-year-old forum, founded by President Obama, will be held in sub-Saharan Africa.
We heartily welcome the decision by the American government to co-host this meeting with the Kenyan government and assure the thousands of delegates who will attend the meeting that they will be met with the warmth and open African spirit for which Kenyans are famous for.
As President Kenyatta, the co-host of the meeting, indicated in his remarks at the Strathmore college last week, Kenya is indeed open for business and the government will continue to strive to find ways in which Kenyans and foreign investors can establish mutually beneficial relationships to boost the economy.
Yet the sentimental importance of this visit cannot be understated. Though this will be President Obama’s fourth visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office, it will be his first to Kenya — his father’s homeland — since his 2008 election. It will in part be a fulfilment of a promise by the first African American occupant of the White House that he would visit the country before the end of his presidency.
Kenyans are therefore relieved and pleased that President Obama has not turned his back on the land of his forebears. Yet anyone who has read the President’s memoirs will know that he has a deep attachment to Kenya.Obama first visited the country in 1988 when he spent five weeks here, according to his memoir Dreams from My Father. He returned to Kenya in 1992 with Michelle, and his half-sister Auma, and again in 2006 during his first year in the US Senate.
President Obama still has family living in Kenya. His visit as President is a ringing endorsement of the progress Kenya has made and the reform journey on which it has embarked.
This eagerly awaited trip will also honour the strong historical ties between the US and Kenya. Hosting President Obama and other delegates to the global forum will reinforce our reputation as a world class destination for conference tourism. It is true that Kenya has been faced with challenges on the tourism front due to the complex security environment in the Horn of Africa. But these challenges are being tackled and President Obama’s coming trip underscores our partnership with the world in tackling terrorism in the region.
The very fact that the US government plans to co-host the global forum in our capital city Nairobi is an indicator of the progress we have made towards curbing insecurity.
Thousands of delegates from around the globe are expected to attend the Summit which connects young entrepreneurs with global leaders, and as a country, we assure all that their stay will be safe and enjoyable.
Stay informed. Subscribe to our newsletter
Indeed, choosing Kenya as the destination for the global forum underscores the fact that Africa, and Kenya in particular, has become a centre for innovation and entrepreneurship and is open for business. Karibu Kenya, Rais Obama.
–The writer is the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of East Africa Affairs, Commerce and Tourism.
The Standard Group Plc is a
multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper
print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key
influence in matters of national and international interest.
join