- Kenya and Seychelles enjoyed extensive bilateral collaboration in fields such as education, health, trade, agriculture, and civil aviation
- This comes just days after Kenyan signed agreements with Somalia and Guinea Bissau
- There are currently 846 Kenyans residing in Seychelles
Kenya and Seychelles inked a record number of 10 agreements on Monday as President Uhuru Kenyatta continues with a deal signing flurry weeks to his retirement.
The latest engagement in Seychelles was “to bolster their long-standing, warm diplomatic ties that have existed between them since their independence” according to a communique from the President’s communications team.
Kenyatta and his host, President Wavel Ramkalawan signed the agreements were signed at State House, Victoria, in the island nation of Seychelles, which is located in the Indian Ocean.
The cooperation in the blue economy sector agreement, which aims to strengthen capacity building and knowledge exchange in the governance aspects of the blue economy as well as support the circular economy and collaboration in the aquaculture sector, was a key agreement among those inked.
Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) for cooperation on maritime affairs as well as peace, security, and law enforcement at sea were also inked.
Speaking to the media after the agreements were signed, Kenyatta declared that he and his host had decided to work together even more on issues pertaining to peace and security, particularly marine security.
“Seychelles is an industry pioneer in promoting the blue economy. In that sense, we have decided to intensify our cooperation in order to safeguard and ensure the sustainable use of our ocean resources, according to President Kenyatta.
The agreements that were signed by the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of the two countries described the routes to be investigated in order to enable Kenya and Seychelles to fully utilize and further consolidate their current connections, and President Kenyatta complimented the JCC for putting them together.
Kenyatta’s visit to Seychelles, according to President Ramkalawan, was crucial for the two nations because it reaffirmed the close ties that the two nations have shared for a long time.
According to President Ramkalawan, “Kenya and Seychelles enjoyed extensive bilateral collaboration in fields such as education, health, trade, agriculture, and civil aviation even before the establishment of diplomatic relations on January 10, 1990.”
“I have thanked President Kenyatta for the support given by the 50 Kenyan healthcare professionals that the Ministry of Health hired in March 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. President Ramkalawan stated, “I have once again expressed my gratitude to him for the contribution Kenyan teachers have made to our educational system.
Responding to press inquiries, the two presidents asserted that by cooperating, the two nations will greatly expand the chances for their citizens, particularly in the blue economy and tourist sectors.
A Defence Cooperation Agreement, another one on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, MOUs on Tourism Development, and bilateral agreements in the agricultural, livestock, and cooperative sectors were among the other bilateral agreements signed.
MOUs on sports collaboration and partnership promotion for gender equality and women’s economic empowerment were also signed.
President Kenyatta emphasized that Africa has the ability to build better futures for its people via sincere and powerful partnerships.
The agreements were signed on behalf of Kenya by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Ambassador Raychelle Omamo and by Seychelles’ Minister of Tourism and Foreign Affairs Sylvestre Radegonde.
This comes just days after Kenyan signed agreements with Somalia and Guinea Bissau.
For the Somalia deal, the July 15, 2022 agreement said that fish imports from Somalia and miraa exports from Kenya would start “with immediate effect” signifying that diplomatic relations are strengthening between the two Eastern African countries.
Top on the list of agreements between Kenya and Guinea Bissau was a deal for the establishment of a Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC). The commission was to help with the establishment of a framework for bilateral consultations and cooperation between the two countries in various fields, including political, economic, commercial, scientific education, and cultural and technical matters.
