Kenyan businesses seek trade links with Angola

The University of Mt Kenya said it plans to establish electronic campuses in Angola to take advantage of the growing links between governments from Nairobi to Luanda.

At the Kenya-Angola Trade and Investment Conference in 2019 last week, MKU Vice President Vincent Gaitho said that the institution wanted to build on recent bilateral policies that have started to open markets between the two countries.

"There are huge opportunities that remain untapped between the two countries," he told the nation after the conference at which industry leaders from Kenya and Angola met at Luanda for what they called "intelligence gathering" in the markets.

E-Learning

Although Mr. Gaitho did not specify deadlines, he indicated that MKU was discussing with the Angolan authorities the possibility of creating e-learning centers on campuses, as well as language exchange programs allowing students on both sides to learn English, Portuguese and Kiswahili.

"Students will be encouraged to reduce their geographical distances and to pursue studies in MKU programs in Angola. Through education, we can connect Africa and make it competitive in a globalized world. "

African integration is what Kenyan diplomats have recently been ordered to market, while the government views private investors as the main pillar of developing trade links with other countries.

Kenya's ambassador to Angola, Josphat Maikara, said Nairobi's efforts to take advantage of the recent Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCTA) could be triggered by the way private investors seize opportunities created by diplomatic relations.



At the 2019 Trade and Investment Conference between Kenya and Angola, Maikara told a group of Kenyan and Angolan industry leaders and government officials on both sides that policy changes between countries could be less useful if investors seize opportunities.

RAW MATERIALS

"Our coffee and tea are leaving the continent as raw materials to be processed and packaged by global brands before being sold on the shelves of our supermarkets," he told a conference in Luanda. in Angola, citing rigid trade barriers between countries.

"In this process, our people are losing jobs, investment opportunities and incomes, while our governments are losing taxes. We need to think about how the investment potential on the continent can be exploited. "

AfCTA is a continental treaty of the African Union. Signed last year, the agreement came into effect in June and aimed to move intracontinental trade from 15% to 50% by 2022.

The treaty is perceived as a link between existing regional trading blocs, but requires the elimination of tariffs, the conclusion of local agreements and the creation of spaces for private sector investment.

Now, the official said countries such as Kenya and Angola, through bilateral ties, could reverse the trend by restricting trade by engaging the private sector, which could provide the necessary funds.

"Existing bilateral instruments will benefit businesses and our citizens in strengthening key sectors of economic growth (in Kenya and Angola).

More specifically, between Angola and Kenya, the recent creation of diplomatic missions installed in 2015 should facilitate the conduct of business.

TECHNOLOGY

"We are here to encourage business exchanges. Our two governments will stay on track to provide businesses with the support they need to soften their operations. "

The July 23-26 conference, organized by Tricarta Advisory, a marketing and events company, brought together some 30 industry representatives from organizations in the education and agriculture sectors. and technology.