Tuesday, March 20, 2012

PS: Envoys to boost economic diplomacy


  SHARE BOOKMARKPRINTEMAILRATING
Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Thuita Mwangi during a post-event review meeting of Kenya's participation in the Gulf Food festival at Serena Hotel, Nairobi March 20, 2012. He said the government was using its missions as a vehicle to secure economic advantages. BILLY MUTAI
Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Thuita Mwangi during a post-event review meeting of Kenya's participation in the Gulf Food festival at Serena Hotel, Nairobi March 20, 2012. He said the government was using its missions as a vehicle to secure economic advantages. BILLY MUTAI 
By LUCAS BARASA lbarassa@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Tuesday, March 20  2012 at  12:26
The government is set to post an ambassador to Muscat, Oman next week as it seeks to strengthen economic ties worldwide.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also confident economic diplomacy was paying dividends with exports to Dubai increasing from Sh3 billion in 2009 to Sh8 billion last year.
"We are using the missions as a vehicle to secure economic advantages. Sixty percent of our diplomats are clearly briefed how to carry out one message on promotion of foreign trade, local investments and tourism," Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Thuita Mwangi told a breakfast meeting at Serena Hotel in Nairobi, Tuesday.
Mr Mwangi said Kenyan envoys had signed performance contracts on how they could help the country realise economic growth.
"In the next two weeks we are going to deploy an ambassador to Muscat. We want as a country to be highly competitive. We are currently facing competition from Ethiopia, Tanzania and Rwanda but we have to take advantage of our geopolitical location," Mr Mwangi said.
"People have knocked on our door but we don’t open. We have just become a reluctant superpower in this region."
Mr Mwangi, who was accompanied by director of economic and external trade division in Ministry of Foreign Affairs Johnson Weru and Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Laban Onditi, said "as we review our foreign policy, our focus to the world will be in terms of economic interests".
It is due to emphasis on economic diplomacy that Kenya opened a number of embassies in Asia and Middle East in last four years.
Share This Story
Share 
The PS spoke during a forum for sharing experiences between business executives and senior government officials who participated in the Gulf food exhibition in Dubai in February.
Mr Mwangi rooted for the increase of money allocated to various ministries to promote Kenya’s trade, investments and tourism abroad by the Treasury and consolidation of the efforts.
"Our most important objective is to seek and secure economic advantages for this country," the PS said, adding that Kenyan diplomats should be multi-skilled to juggle multiple demands.
"Even the UK High Commission to Kenya second top official formerly worked with Unilever. We should create embassies not for political advantage but for economic. We need to bring private sector skills to Foreign Affairs. Wes should source skills from wherever they are," Mr Mwangi said.
Brand Kenya chief executive Mary Kimonye called for coordinated message among players to boost trade, investments and tourism.
"We need to move as one country, portray one image, one country look and one country approach," Ms Kimonye said.
Mr Weru said after the Gulf Food exhibition which attracted participants from 81 countries, Kenya now plans to showcase its products and potential in Saudi Arabia and Jordan in the next four weeks.

No comments:

Post a Comment