President William Ruto has invited Poland President Andrzej Duda to consider Mombasa and Lamu ports as possible logistical hubs for exporting products, including grains, to the region and beyond.
Speaking on Monday during a media briefing with President Duda who is in the country for a two-day State Visit, Ruto said Kenya and Poland are committed to enhancing cooperation in various areas of mutual interest.
“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,” he said.
Ruto noted that the two nations are keen on strengthening their partnership in trade and economic affairs, agriculture and food security, and environment and climate action.
“Poland is a valued partner of Kenya with common values and shared aspirations guiding our present and future relationship,” he said.
On his part, President Duda said Poland is keen on fostering strong economic relations with Kenya.
“This is not a visit of courtesy, this is a visit which brings with it big economic potential for the future,” he said.
The two leaders witnessed the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding on tax solidarity, and agriculture and rural development.
“These MOUs will cement our aspirations to promote bilateral partnerships in their respective sectors and open up new avenues for collaboration between the two countries and peoples,” he said.
President Ruto and President Duda agreed to scale up collaboration in the agriculture and food security sector to bridge the gap in the demand for wheat and grain products in Kenya.
The President commended Poland for supporting Kenya’s dairy sector through the provision of milk coolers. President Duda said Poland’s experience in dairy farming will be instrumental in expanding Kenya’s milk production capacity.
Ruto also called on Polish investors to exploit investment opportunities in the country. He appealed to them to leverage on Kenya’s strategic geographical advantage for their regional and continental investments.
The Head of State also said Kenya is looking for job opportunities in Poland to expand opportunities for Kenyans.
“We discussed the possibility of developing a Labour Mobility Framework to expand job opportunities available for our highly skilled young labour force while narrowing the labour deficit in Poland.
The two leaders also discussed global issues such as peace and security, climate action and green growth and financing for development.
