President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday evening held talks with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The two leaders discussed several matters concerning Kenya and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) including strengthening bilateral ties for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries. 

Leading their respective delegations at the meeting held at the Sea Palace in Abu Dhabi, the two leaders agreed on the need for Kenya and the UAE to explore the possibility of signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to enhance trade.

They also discussed measures to be undertaken to address the trade imbalance that is currently tilted in favour of the Gulf nation.

Earlier today, Uhuru graced the opening of the Kenya-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states business forum in Dubai on the first day of his working visit to the UAE. 

The President, who invited Gulf investors to set up shop in Kenya, said the country needed to adapt to what investors wanted and remove the bureaucratic red tape that undermined trade.

Uhuru directed Kenyan Government officials to be at the forefront in facilitating trade to give the country a comparative advantage as an investment destination of choice.

“We need to be the welcoming party. We are here to listen. We are here to facilitate. We are here to do what these investors require from us in order to come into our country to bring their investment, to help us create jobs and to help us develop our economy,” Uhuru said. 

Captains of industry and business executives from both Kenya and the Gulf region among other delegations attended the high-level business forum held on the margins of the Expo 2020 Dubai.

President Kenyatta emphasized that Kenya seeks to strengthen its trade with the UAE, noting that a wide range of goods and services that the UAE imports from other parts of the world could be produced and supplied by Kenya. By Sharon Maombo, The star