Kenya-Poland trade ties focus on agriculture, taxes
Kenya and Poland have entered into bilateral agreements aimed at boosting the country’s agriculture industry, rural development, and tax solidarity between the two nations. The signing of the Memorandums of Understanding took place at State House Nairobi witnessed by both Presidents William Ruto and Andrzej Duda.
Poland President Andrzej Duda was in Kenya on Monday and Tuesday, seeking to enhance cooperation and foster strong economic and diplomatic relations with Kenya, East Africa’s largest economy. “This is not a courtesy visit. Instead, it is a visit which brings with it huge economic potential for the future,” he said.
Cooperation in the agricultural sector between Kenya and Poland will seek to bridge the gap in the demand for grains in the country, ensure better, mechanized, and more efficient agricultural systems, and strive to achieve food security, a major concern over the past years.
“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.
In a Kenya-Poland business and economic forum, investors explored collaborations between the two nations’ commerce chambers, Ken Invest, and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency.
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Virtual Reality operations
Kenya will benefit from Polish technologies such as using Virtual Reality in industrial welding operations. This approach is poised to yield a positive development empowering welders with affordable, safe, and efficient training while avoiding the myriad occupational hazards that come with the Jua kali sector, helping them overcome entry barriers.
Additionally, this approach aligns with the government’s goals of encouraging broader Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiatives in Kenya, aiming to enhance the employability of youth and equip them with skills that are in demand today.
Another area of benefit will be the deployment of drones to monitor Kenya’s vast national parks and conservancies, offering a less labor-intensive option to secure parks from illegal poaching or invaders.
Prospects of other upcoming agreements that are already in the pipeline were also hinted at by the two heads of state. One of them is the possibility of developing a labour agreement to expand job opportunities for highly skilled young Kenyans, which would aid Poland in reducing its labour deficit.
President Ruto also called on Polish investors to exploit investment opportunities in the country, asking them to leverage Kenya’s strategic geographical advantage, and ports of Mombasa and Lamu to serve the region.
