NAIROBI – President William Ruto on Monday invited Poland to consider Mombasa and Lamu ports as possible logistics hubs for exporting products to the region and beyond.
Speaking during a joint press address during Poland President Andrzej Duda’s state visit, President Ruto called on Polish investors to exploit investment opportunities in the country, and appealed to them to leverage on Kenya’s strategic geographical advantage for their regional and continental investments.
“I urged President Duda to partner with us through public-private and government-to-government partnerships to explore the vast market in the agricultural sector, particularly in post-harvest value addition, aiming to conclusively address food security,” President Ruto said.
The President said Poland is a valued partner of Kenya, and the two states are working together to enhance collaboration in trade and economic affairs, agriculture and food security, environment and climate action, as well as their individual and collective contributions to multilateralism.
“We had extensive discussions on the imperative to enhance trade and investment between the two countries. Seizing the presence of a high-powered business delegation accompanying President Duda, I invited them to invest in the numerous opportunities that Kenya offers,” the President added.
On his part, President Duda, who was making the first visit by a Polish President to Kenya in 60 years, said Poland is keen on fostering strong economic relations with Kenya.
“This is not a courtesy visit. Instead, it is a visit which brings with it huge economic potential for the future,” he said.
Following the bilateral talks, Kenya and Poland signed two MoUs on tax solidarity, and agriculture and rural development.
The two leaders also attended the Kenyan-Polish High-Level Economic Dialogue, in Nairobi.
“We anticipate witnessing the endorsement of various instruments of collaboration between KenInvest and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, as well as between our respective national Chambers of Commerce … I am confident that this B-to-B meeting will result in higher levels of foreign direct investment from Polish companies into various sectors of our economy,” Ruto said.
