Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said Kenya is exploring all aspects of trade and cooperation to strengthen ties with Algeria as it looks to expand relations with more African countries.
Among the foremost areas of cooperation is Education and knowledge exchange which the two nations have focused on and grown over the recent years.
Speaking when he engaged students and professionals living and studying in Algeria, Prof. Kindiki said North African country remains a strong partner noting the increasing trade and the rising number of Kenyans in the country.
“We are going to firm up our bilateral relations because Algeria is keen to buy our coffee, tea, meat, powder milk, avocado, citrus fruits and others. We need to cement the trade agreement that is why I came with the Trade Minister Lee Kinyanjui,” said Prof. Kindiki.
He was in Algeria to represent Kenya at the ongoing Fourth Intra-Africa Trade Fair in Algiers, Algeria.
He also held bilateral talks with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune centred on enhancing relations between the two nations.
“We are working to operationalize direct flights between Algiers and Nairobi to ease movement because presently you have to go through Middle East or Europe to reach here,” he noted.
Through the Kazi Majuu program that encompasses labour mobility to foreign countries as one of the ways to reduce unemployment, Kenya aims to ink agreements with more countries in Africa and beyond, Algeria among the targets.
Kenya has already signed six bilateral labour agreements and is negotiating with another 13 countries.
“We are also looking into negotiating a bilateral labour agreement also with Algeria and other potential countries so that before we send people abroad we know where they are going to work, the employer and salary and how to repatriate them in case they meet challenges,” DP explained.
He further encouraged the students to seize emerging opportunities, especially as Algeria transitions to using English as a mode of instruction in schools, a move that could open teaching opportunities for graduates. Kenya is also keen on expanding partnerships in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and education, with Algeria emerging as a key ally.
With the ongoing education reforms, he assured the students that the administration will explore ways to make HELB loans available to them and learners in other countries.
“I am optimistic we can work on extending financial support through HELB to students abroad. We will work on a mechanism to make that possible,” DP stated.
In Agriculture, Prof. Kindiki highlighted the flourishing partnership saying Algeria had donated 16, 000 metric tonnes of fertilizer to Kenya that had boosted the ongoing subsidy program praised for enhancing food production across the country.
“The country is headed in the right direction but we need to sustain the momentum not for five, 10 or 20, years but 30 or 40 and more years of sustained growth like many countries that have achieve greatness,” he said.
The DP also informed them of the government’s comprehensive reforms in the Education sector geared at making learning more relevant, accessible, and rewarding for young people both locally and abroad.
DP Kindiki also reassured students that the government is committed to addressing challenges faced by students studying outside the country, including qualification equivalence, professional recognition, and bilateral labor agreements.
The Deputy President also encouraged the students to be Kenya’s good ambassadors promoting the nation’s profile abroad.
“We must have faith in our country. We may not be perfect, but we are a work in progress. Every citizen has something they can do or say that can add value to our national development,” he said.
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