Kenya, Egypt seek to boost trade, bilateral ties

 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is due in Kenya on Saturday for a state visit as Nairobi seeks to bolster cooperation between the two countries.

Kenya's State House spokesman Manoah Esipisu said both El-Sisi and his host, President Uhuru Kenyatta will on Saturday lead their delegations in bilateral talks aimed at bolstering cooperation between Kenya and Egypt.

"Kenya and Egypt have a Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) aimed at promoting bilateral cooperation," Esipisu said in a statement issued in Nairobi. El-Sisi will be making the first state visit to this country by a sitting Egyptian Head of State.

He said since its establishment, six sessions have been held, alternating between Nairobi and Cairo during which five Agreements/MoUs were signed in 2015. The Seventh Session is expected to be held in Egypt later this year.

"Within the framework of the JCC, Kenyans continue to receive specialized training in the fields of medicine, agriculture, security and diplomacy in various Egyptian institutions," Esipisu said.

He said the total volume of trade between Kenya and Egypt stood at about 450 million U.S. dollars in 2015 while the highest value was approximately 597 million dollars in 2012, according to official statistics.

Kenya's total exports to Egypt were valued at approximately 200 million dollars with a negative trade balance of 56 million dollars in 2015.

"These exports comprise a limited number of products dominated by tea at 96 per cent of the total exports to Egypt. Egypt is the second largest importer of Kenyan tea. However, there has been a decline in tea exports over the last few years," Esipisu said.

Source: Xinhua