Kenya, President Mattarella’s trip to reaffirm the continent’s commitment: “Africa is an important partner for Italy and the EU”
The state visit in Kenya of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarellascheduled to start today (March 23) and end (Thursday 16), in Kenya it is considered one of the More advanced and stable countries from sub-Saharan Africa, with cutting-edge projects in the fields of technology and the fight against climate change. The composition of the population, as in many African countries, is diverse: le ethnicity I am indeed 70the families linguistic quattro but divided into 66 dialectsthere are 4 large religious groups (45% Presbyterian and Protestant, 35% Catholic and Orthodox, 11% Muslim, 9% traditional religions).
Kenya’s economy is driven by the agricultural sector
Il Kenya is considered a middle income countryand the third economy in the sub-Saharan area even if the distribution is unequal and only 2% of the population is in conditions of well-being, while 50% of the population lives below the poverty level as demonstrated by the slums of Nairobi. The average annual per capita income is 1,800 euros but it has been growing steadily for more than ten years. The backbone of the Kenyan economy remains the agricultural sector, which contributes to the GDP for about 25%. But we can already see numerous small and medium-sized enterprises advancing, a strongly developing sector linked to climate change and a rapidly expanding technological one, so much so that we are talking aboutl Country like a ‘Silicon Savannah’ he is alone Google predicts Of invest one billion dollars from 2021 to 2026. Growth, also expected to be over 5% for the next three years, is supported by the consolidation of the middle class and the increase in consumption.
Il Kenya, thanks to access to the sea and good infrastructure developmenthas become a country hubs of the area, favored both bymanufacturing industry which gives a financial system ranked fourth in sub-Saharan Africa (the Nairobi stock exchange is the first in East Africa). The Kenya has extensive internet coverage and is at the forefront of digital means of payment thanks to the M-Pesa service, a Vodafone-Safaricom collaboration, of micropayments and microfinance via mobile phone. This approach goes hand in hand with the attempts of the authorities to favor the growth of the free market with privatizations and liberalisations. Nairobi is foreign-dependent for energy, but is developing solar, wind and geothermal sectors. The balance of payments, although still negative, is improving thanks to the sectors of mining, the provision of services for regional trade, tourism and foreign remittances.
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Kenya, the political situation of the country
Politically the Kenya is a stable countrycompared to regional standards. After two terms of President Uhuru Kenyatta, new presidential elections were held on August 9, 2022 which sanctioned the victory of former vice president William Ruto, who defeated Kenyatta’s henchman Raila Odinga. Despite several disputes and an appeal to the Supreme Court of Nairobi, the handover took place in a tense atmosphere but without bloody popular revolts as had happened in previous rounds. The Kenya is a regional landmark, he often proposes himself as a mediator in conflicts in the area, from the one between Ethiopia and Tigrinya to the one on the eastern borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The relationship with Somalia is more complex, whose instability has sometimes infected Kenya, even if a strong dialogue still remains open.
Nairobi supports integration processes regional within the East African Community (EAC) and continental through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), but also works on economic and trade partnership agreements with major non-African partners (UK, USA and EU) . The profile of multilateralism is symbolized by the presence in Nairobi of the third largest UN center in the world. The countries with which the greatest dialogue is open are the United States, Israel, China, India and South Africa. Nairobi also maintains a good relationship with the EU thanks to the Strategic Dialogue of January 2022 which is based on the three pillars of peace and security, sustainable development, trade and investment.
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Kenya, the relationship between Nairobi and Rome
In the bilateral relations with Italy, Kenya boasts a strong and positive tradition, so much so that the Italian one is the second foreign community after the British one. If trade is not yet at high levels, it still remains profitable. Italy mainly exports industrial machinery, chemicals, household appliances and food products and imports agricultural, food, textile and mining products. Italian investments in the tourism sector are very strong.
After a boom until the 80s (thanks to the presence of companies of the caliber of Agip, Alitalia, Fiat), the Italian presence for over thirty years has dwindled but it is now registering a return of interest from some large Italian industrial groups including Eni (in the field of circular economy, agribusiness, decarbonization), Enel, Leonardo, Gruppo ICM. A strong point of relations between Rome and Nairobi is scientific cooperation, characterized by exchange and collaboration agreements between university institutes and symbolized by the Luigi Broglio Space Center in Malindi, of the Italian Space Agency. Development cooperation also sees a qualitative level of value, thanks to the credit conversion agreement, human capital training interventions and support for business incubators.
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