Kenya says visit by Japanese PM to boost ties

Kenya said Sunday the forthcoming visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Nairobi is expected to boost bilateral ties between the two countries.

State House spokesman Manoah Esipisu said after attending the Tokyo International Conference on Africa's Development (TICAD) VI which begins on Aug. 27, Abe will hold meetings on Kenya-Japan relations.

He said Abe is being accompanied by a large delegation of Japanese business people, acknowledging that Japan is Kenya's leading development partner in Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to Esipisu, Kenya hosts one of the largest Japanese communities in Africa, adding that Nairobi is also the regional headquarters for agencies like Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) as well as its largest businesses.

TICAD, first held in 1993, is an international forum of high-level political engagement between Africa and Japan, which provides a platform for discussion on matters of national and regional development.

Japan and other TICAD co-organizers, including the African Union, the UN Office of the Special Advisor on Africa, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank, are expected to meet to discuss economic growth, trade and investment as well as sustainable development.

Abe and over 35 African leaders are expected to attend the two-day high level summit. Endit