Principal Secretary State Department for Diaspora Affairs Roseline Njogu, has emphasized that Kenyans living abroad have a powerful and crucial role in shaping and promoting Kenya’s narrative on the global stage.
Addressing Kenyan professionals, community leaders and industry pioneers during a fireside chat on Thursday evening in Doha, Qatar, PS Njogu underscored the civic and patriotic responsibility of the diaspora to safeguard Kenya’s reputation and counter negative publicity.
She highlighted the significant impact of the diaspora in championing Kenya’s interests internationally, urging attendees to actively mention Kenya when discussing investment opportunities, tourism, ICT, skilled workforce, and other key topics in influential spaces and decision-making forums.
Accompanied by Ambassador Mohamed Nur Adan, Kenya’s envoy to Qatar, PS Njogu also stressed the importance of knowledge and skills transfer from the diaspora to drive Kenya’s socio-economic progress.
She noted that leveraging international expertise acquired abroad is essential for advancing national development.
On environmental stewardship, PS Njogu called on the more than 70,000 Kenyans in Qatar to support Kenya’s ambitious goal of growing 15 billion trees by 2032.
She encouraged the community to collectively adopt a forest, contributing to increased tree and forest cover.
PS Njogu also urged the diaspora to take advantage of government initiatives such as DhowCSD, which offers opportunities to invest in government securities, and to explore prospects in health, tourism, ICT, manufacturing, sports, and agriculture to expand their investment portfolios.
The PS also used the session to update Kenyans in Doha of Government programmes back home under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda(BETA) and the importance to the citizenry.
The session concluded with an interactive discussion, allowing Kenyans present to engage directly with officials and explore ways to further contribute to Kenya’s growth and global standing.
By Muraya Kamunde
