World Bank Vice President for Africa Hafez Ghanem has assured of the Bretton Woods institution’s support for Kenya’s Big 4 development blueprint which drives the government’s development agenda.
Ghanem has singled out the provision of affordable healthcare as an area that his organization is keen on collaborating with the government to ensure its success.
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“The World Bank is committed to supporting Kenya in advancing the Big 4 Agenda both in technical and financial cooperation,” Mr Ghanem said.
The World Bank VP was speaking when he paid a courtesy call on President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi.
President Kenyatta praised the collaboration between his administration and the World Bank, saying the partnership has seen implementation of projects that have impacted positively on the lives of Kenyans.
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President Kenyatta and Mr Ghanem also discussed the World Bank’s Development Policy Operations (DPO), infrastructure, climate smart agriculture and digital economy.
On infrastructure in the Horn of Africa, President Kenyatta and Mr Ghanem agreed on the need scale up implementation of projects that will help resettle Somali refugees back in their country. They said the infrastructure projects will also boost security in Somalia.
“I am very keen on those projects because they will not only serve to ensure security but they are also a development tool,” the President noted.
The Head of State urged the World Bank not to loosen its grip on the various development projects earmarked for the Horn of Africa region, saying despite recorded challenges in some countries, the need for the interventions still exists.
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On the digital economy, the World Bank Vice President commended Kenya for taking the lead in the East African region.
He said the World Bank is working on a programme to develop a digital market in East Africa that will start with Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda but later expand to the other countries in the region.
The meeting was attended by the Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich and Work Bank Country Director for Kenya Carlos Felipe Jaramillo among others.
