On Modi’s invitation,Kenyan PM to visit Vibrant Gujarat summit
On Modi’s invitation,Kenyan PM to visit Vibrant Gujarat summit
Ahmedabad, DeshGujarat, 20 November, 2008
The high level Kenyan business delegation led by Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga will participate in Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit(VGGIS) 2009 on invitation of the Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi. Kenyan Prime Minister today accepted Gujarat Chief Minister’s invitation in a bilateral meeting between the two leaders at Nairobi.
Decision to form a joint committee to develop public-private partnership model for Kenya based on Gujarat’s experience was taken during the talk. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga accepted Modi’s proposal for cooperation of GSPC in Kenyan Petroleum and Energy sector’s development.
The Prime Minister of Kenya hosted a dinner for Gujarat delegation in which whole rank of his ministers was present.
To welcome Gujarat delegation led by Chief Minister Modi, Nairobi based Bochasanvasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha(BAPS) temple was decorated and illuminated. Hindu Council of Kenya’s president Vanraj Saravaiya and BAPS trustee AK Patel welcomed and felicitated Chief Minister Modi. In a festive atmosphere, Modi took part in Aarti in the temple.
Kenya based Gujaratis appreciated Chief Minister Modi for his helping role at the time of violence in Kenya early this year. Dowdi Bohra community also felicitated Chief Minister Modi.
“Gujaratis have made the world as their home, there will be a time when the world will make Gujarat it’s home. In 21st century, Gujarat has achieved more growth than China,” Modi said while addressing Gujaratis in Nairobi.
Modi’s four days East-Africa tour ends tonight. He will be back on the home pitch tomorrow.
Modi in Kenya, Gujarat delegation visits Masai Mara Safari
Narendra Modi meets Ugandan President and Prime Minister
Ugandan Foreign Minister welcomes Gujarat CM Modi at Entebbe airport
Gujarat delegation led by Narendra Modi to visit Uganda and Kenya
November 20th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
A report in Kenyan News Paper
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/492918/-/tm2yxh/-/
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Kenya is set to achieve tremendous development following Barack Obama’s election as US president, a top Indian government official has said.
Visiting Gujarat State chief minister Narendra Modi said though Mr Obama whose father was Kenyan won the top seat thousands of kilometres away “the real effect will come to Kenya.”
“Each and every Kenyan feels Obama belongs to them. This simple feeling can generate tremendous energy to the Kenya society to work even harder, boost conference services and the country’s political image,” Mr Modi said at Oshwal Centre in Parklands.
The official told an interactive session to explore bilateral and trade potential between Kenya and Gujarat State that Kenya stood to benefit a lot if its leaders could “generate these emotions and turn it into a breakthrough for development of Kenyan society.”
“The feeling of being Kenyan now has a high value and can change the country,” Mr Modi said as he congratulated Kenya and Mr Obama for his win.
He said being an outsider and student of political science, the political events in the US was one of the best times for Kenya and that the country should capitalise on it for development.
Mr Modi who was accompanied by deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi and Indian High Commissioner to Kenya P S Radhawa hailed Kenya’s relationship with India dating centuries and called for more cooperation on investments.
“We want to create a bridge that will strengthen our relationship,” Mr Modi said and cited small scale industries, infrastructure development, energy, Information and Communications Technology, minerals among others as areas where Kenya and India can work together.
Gujarat for instance has achieved 99 percent road connectivity, broadband connection in every village, its economy grew by 10.4 percent last year and is India’s engine for growth.
Both Mr Modi and Mr Mudavadi emphasised more investment in infrastructure including ICT as key to any country’s development.
Urging Indian investors to venture in Kenya including in rural towns, Mr Mudavadi said the government was working round the clock to fasten processing of requests for investments.
“Indeed, Kenya has 175 Local Authorities with enormous investment opportunities, which have never been tapped. I welcome investors from the State of Gujarat to explore the investment opportunities available in these local authorities.”
The Local Government minister said his ministry will facilitate a conducive environment for investment within Local Authorities.
The Minister said Kenya was safe destination for investment and that Business Processing Out-sourcing was one of the areas it could partner with India.
India is currently a destination of choice for most multinational companies in the world.
Under Kenya’s economic blueprint for the next 22 years (Vision 2030), the country envisages to becoming one of the top three BPO destinations in Africa in a bid to create more jobs and raise its Gross Domestic Product.
Kenya, Mr Mudavadi said, could also benefit in terms of technology and skills transfer in the Agro and dairy industry from India.
India currently produces 200,000 engineers and 300,000 technically trained personnel annually.
Gujarat State alone has 3.2 million small and medium enterprises, the minister added.
Mr Modi is in the country to promote investments in Gujarat and a Global Investors’ Summit set for January.
November 20th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
A report on Kenyan broadcasting corporation website. Kenya Broadcasting Corporation is a state corporation established by an Act of Parliament CAP 221 of the laws of Kenya to undertake public services. So we can count this article as official communique of the government of Kenya.
http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=53983
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PM asks India to import more Kenyan goods
Written By:PMPS , Posted: Thu, Nov 20, 2008
Prime Minister Raila has asked India to import more Kenyan goods to offset a widening bilateral trade imbalance that favors the Asian country.
The Prime Minister hailed the relations between Kenya and India, which dates back to the 19th century, and expressed hope that India will reciprocate Kenya’s priority to the country in economic and cultural exchanges.
He revealed Thursday that India is Kenya’s sixth largest trading partner, a relationship that underscores close economic and cultural contacts, helped in large part by a large immigrant Indian population in Kenya.
But the trade is hugely in favour of India, thus constraining Kenya’s capacity to benefit fully from the expanding cooperation.
He asked India to increase its uptake of Kenya’s farm and processed products in demand in the Asian country.
“The trade imbalance could easily be reduced if India increases it current importation of Sisal, coffee precious stones, wool, soda ash, pyrethrum, wet leather ,wattle and horticultural products,” the premier said.
He told a luncheon of Indian leaders, led by visiting Chief Minister of the State of Gujarat, Mr Narendra Modi, and local businessmen that an agreement of a Joint Commission signed in 1999 could be exploited further to benefit Kenya.
The Joint Commission coordinates political, trade, economic, technical and cultural cooperation between the two nations.
Since the agreement’s signing, India’s official development assistance to Kenya has increased, topping $6.6 million as of 2008.
Kenya will be seeking a further $6.5 million in concessional loans from a special fund set by the Indian government early in the year for African countries.
At the India-Africa Forum held in April, India announced establishment of the $5.4 billion fund as a package to African sovereign borrowers.
Kenya is seeking the loan in order to finance development of the national power transmission lines.
Mr Odinga also appealed for increased cooperation with the state of Gujarat, whose technological and economic development is higher than India’s average.
“We believe the co operation with the state of Gujarat in various fields will play important part in attainment of the vision 2030 goals” he asserted.
He said Kenya is exploring modalities to formulate exchange programmes with the state’s pharmaceutical, textile, ceramic and Information Technology sectors.
“The achievement realized in Gujarat could also be duplicated here,” he said, and called upon business people from the state to invest in Kenya to help steer economic growth in both countries.
November 20th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Also read this article on Modi’s Kenya talks(or Kenya’s Modi talk?) from Chinese reporter’s perspective:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/20/content_10389229.htm
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NAIROBI, Nov. 20 (Xinhua)
The Kenyan government on Thursday called on India to import more Kenyan goods to offset a widening bilateral trade imbalance that favors the Asian country.
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga lauded the relations between Kenya and India, which dates back to the 19th century, and expressed hope that India will reciprocate Kenya’s priority to the country in economic and cultural exchanges.
Odinga said that India is Kenya’s sixth largest trading partner which underscores close economic and cultural contacts between the two countries, helping in large part by a large immigrant Indian population in Kenya. But the trade is hugely in favour of India, thus constraining Kenya’s capacity to benefit fully from the expanding cooperation.
He asked India to increase its uptake of Kenya’s farm and processed products in demand in the Asian country.
“The trade imbalance could easily be reduced if India increases its current importation of Sisal, coffee precious stones, wool, soda ash, pyrethrum, wet leather, wattle and horticultural products,” the PM said.
Odinga told a luncheon of Indian leaders, led by visiting Chief Minister of the State of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, and local businessmen that an agreement of a Joint Commission signed in 1999could be exploited further to benefit Kenya.
The joint commission coordinates political, trade, economic, technical and cultural cooperation between the two nations.
Since the agreement’s signing, India’s official development assistance to Kenya has increased, topping 6.6 million U.S. dollars as of 2008.
Kenya will be seeking a further 6.5 million dollars in concessional loans from a special fund set by the Indian government early in the year for African countries.
At the India-Africa Forum held in April, India announced the establishment of the 5.4 billion U.S. dollars fund as a package to African sovereign borrowers.
Kenya is seeking the loan in order to finance development of the national power transmission lines.
Odinga also appealed for increased cooperation with the state of Gujarat, whose technological and economic development is higher than India’s average.
“We believe the cooperation with the state of Gujarat in various fields will play an important part in attainment of the vision 2030 goals,” he said.
He said Kenya is exploring modalities to formulate exchange programs with the state’s pharmaceutical, textile, ceramic and information technology sectors.
“The achievement realized in Gujarat could also be duplicated here,” he said, and called upon business people from the state to invest in Kenya to help steer economic growth in both countries.
Earlier, Modi said Kenya is set to achieve tremendous development following Barack Obama’s election as next U.S. president. The Gujarat State chief minister said though Obama whose father was Kenyan won the top seat thousands of kilometres away “the real effect will come to Kenya.”
“Each and every Kenyan feels Obama belongs to them. This simple feeling can generate tremendous energy to the Kenya society to work even harder, boost conference services and the country’s political image,” Modi said in Nairobi.
“The feeling of being Kenyan now has a high value and can change the country,” Modi said as he congratulated Kenya and Obama for his win.
He said being an outsider and student of political science, the political events in the United States was one of the best times for Kenya and that the country should capitalize on it for development.
Modi hailed Kenya’s relationship with India dating centuries and called for more cooperation on investments. “We want to create a bridge that will strengthen our relationship,” Modi said, citing small scale industries, infrastructure development, energy, information and communications technology, minerals among others as areas where Kenya and India can work together.
November 21st, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Another report in Kenyan newspaper
Kenya ‘poised for big growth’
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/493104/-/tm3hy0/-/
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By LUCAS BARASAPosted Thursday, November 20 2008 at 18:45
Kenya is on the path to achieving tremendous development following Barack Obama’s election as US president, a top Indian government official has said.
Visiting Gujarat State chief minister Narendra Modi said although Mr Obama, whose father was Kenyan, won an election thousands of kilometres away “the real effect will be felt in Kenya.”
Powerful force
“Every Kenyan feels Obama belongs to them. This feeling can generate tremendous energy in Kenyan society to work even harder,” Mr Modi said at a meeting to explore bilateral and trade potential between Kenya and Gujarat.
“The feeling of being Kenyan now has a high value and can change the country,” Mr Modi said, adding that Kenya stood to benefit if it could “generate these emotions into a powerful force that will provide a breakthrough for development of Kenyan society.”
He said the country was also perfectly positioned to boost its image abroad.
Mr Modi, who was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi hailed Kenya’s relationship with India, which dates back centuries.
“We want to strengthen our relationship,” Mr Modi said.
He said the two countries could work together to boost small-scale industries, infrastructure development, energy, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and mineral exploration.
Engine for growth
Gujarat, he said, has 99 per cent road connectivity, has broadband connection in every village, its economy grew by 10.4 percent last year and is India’s engine for growth.
Both Mr Modi and Mr Mudavadi called for more investment in infrastructure, especially in ICTs. Urging Indian investors to explore opportunities in Kenya, including the rural towns, Mr Mudavadi said the Government was working round the clock to speed up the processing of requests for investment.
“Indeed, Kenya has 175 local authorities with enormous investment opportunities which are just waiting to be tapped. I welcome investors from the State of Gujarat to explore opportunities available in these local authorities,” he said, adding that the Local Government ministry, which he heads, will facilitate a conducive environment for potential investors.