During his first official visit to Kenya, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong thanked Kenyan President William Ruto for his gracious welcome. He noted that, despite their physical distance, Singapore and Kenya have similar perspectives.
“Our peoples share similar aspirations, such as inclusive growth, a high standard of living, ethnic and religious harmony, and good housing, healthcare and education,” said Prime Minister Lee.
Both countries have comparable perspectives on the difficulties the Global South faces. Inflation, pandemics, climate change, rising protectionism, rising geopolitical tensions, and dangers to the multilateral trading system are all issues that both are concerned about.
Both countries agreed that it was critical for nations to keep working to establish connections in the digital economy and to collaborate on issues related to food, energy, and sustainable development. In an increasingly connected world, making connections and partnerships in the digital economy gives people and companies the power to use technology, grow their reach, drive innovation, and achieve sustainable growth.
They reiterated Singapore’s and Kenya’s cordial and long-standing ties. They commemorated the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties two years ago. And in areas like governance, public service management, urban planning, and livable cities, the two nations collaborate and share experiences.
Both economic alliances have been expanding. In Sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya is one of Singapore’s key trading partners. Despite COVID-19, bilateral commerce grew by approximately 25% in 2021 compared to the previous year.
Several Singapore-based businesses are active in Kenya in several industries, including shipping, logistics and port management systems, agribusiness, tourism, and fintech solutions. Nairobi is host to a delegation of Singaporean businesses. They came to look for chances to partner with and invest in Kenyan businesses.
The two nations work effectively together in multilateral forums as well. They underlined their common support for multilateralism and a world order based on rules. Singapore and Kenya decided to keep working together at the UN and other multilateral institutions, as well as to work together to improve the UN’s effectiveness.
They also talked about potential new collaborations. In relation to ICT (information and communication technologies). A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been struck in this regard, allowing the parties to share ICT best practices and information and foster innovation and talent development. The MOU would also promote and improve cybersecurity-related strategic cooperation.
In terms of climate change, they have inked an MOU in partnership with carbon credits under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. This will stimulate, create, and facilitate mutually beneficial joint carbon credit ventures. International cooperation, such as this agreement between Singapore and Kenya, is important to boosting global climate action and achieving the Paris Agreement’s goals.
Both countries place a high value on talent development when it comes to human capital development. The MOU on Skills Development would promote deeper technical cooperation between the two countries in areas such as Leadership and Governance, Education, and Digitalisation. This will be accomplished through knowledge exchange, capacity-building courses, and other forms of collaboration.
There is a lot of room to enhance bilateral collaboration. Kenya’s strategic location acts as a gateway to East Africa for Singapore enterprises. Similarly, Singapore might act as a gateway to Southeast Asia for Kenyan businesses.
Both countries welcome the approval of the bilateral investment treaty and the President’s pledge to resolve the two countries’ Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement as soon as possible. These initiatives send a strong, positive signal to businesses while also providing clarity and assurance on cross-border transactions and investment.
Singapore is eager to collaborate with President Ruto and his government to advance bilateral relations.
