Kenya, Seychelles ink agreement to expand trade, security

Kenya and Seychelles on Monday inked agreements that will see the two countries expand their ties in trade and security.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, who held bilateral talks with visiting President Danny Faure of Seychelles, said they reached a deal to have the two countries cooperate in tourism development by partnering the agencies managing the sectors in the respective countries.

Addressing a joint news conference after holding bilateral talks in Nairobi, Kenyatta said Kenya and Seychelles each have tourism products they are famous for and it will make economic sense if they partnered to promote each other.

"It is both our ambitions and intention to ensure that we do everything that we can to deepen regional trade investment and to grow our regional economies by working together," he told journalists.

The East African nation is known for its safari tourism while the Indian Ocean nation of Seychelles is known for its beach destinations.

The two countries reached an agreement that will see Kenya export more human capital and agricultural products to Seychelles.

Kenyatta also revealed that Seychelles wants to employ Kenyan teachers to join other Kenyans working in other sectors in the island nation, adding that Kenya Airways will also increase its flights to Seychelles to help enhance the close cooperation between the two nations.

Kenyatta said there a sizeable Kenyan diaspora in Seychelles and the Seychellois have long ties with Kenya.

"What we are doing now is to improve Government to Government ties," said Kenyatta as he thanked the important role Seychelles has played as a strategic security partner in dealing with piracy and drug trafficking.

On his part, Faure said it makes more economic sense for his country to import beef and poultry from Kenya instead of countries like Brazil.

He said Seychelles will support Kenya in developing its maritime sector especially the fishing industry, which Kenya has paid little attention to since independence.

Faure announced that Seychelles will support Kenya to make the port of Mombasa to develop the capacity to act as a fish trans-shipment port.

He said his nation is ready to work with Kenya to develop its blue economy and to improve the security of its Exclusive Economic Zone.

"We can help you develop your fisheries sector and your defence sector specifically coast guard," said Faure.

Faure said he has reached a deal with Kenyatta that Kenya and Seychelles will put a framework for a two-centre destination where the two countries will work jointly to promote their tourism products.

He said the renewed partnership between Kenya and Seychelles is informed by the fact that it is a new age and today Africa is different from the Africa of the 1950s.

"It is an era where we need more transformational leadership that can translate the freedom of our people into shared prosperity," he said. Endit