Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the commitment of President Uhuru Kenyatta to economics and business. His itinerary was, in itself, evidence that Kenya is focussing absolutely on economic development, energy supply, education, information and communication technology and infrastructure development, said Angela Merkel. "These are all fields in which Germany can be a good partner."

Private-sector cooperation complements development policy

In development cooperation, Kenya is a "strategic partner country for Germany", stressed the Chancellor. For the period 2014 – 2016 Germany is providing funding totalling 300 million euros. Currently the next cooperation period is being hammered out, reported Angela Merkel.

It is important for private-sector cooperation to complement development cooperation. This is an area in which Kenya is "something of an anchor country for German businesses". In this context Angela Merkel pointed to the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Nairobi and the fact that there are direct flights between the two countries. Tourism forges a strong link, she said.

With every investment made by a German company in Kenya, Angela Merkel said, young people are trained in line with German vocational training regulations. Angela Merkel and Uhuru Kenyatta also discussed poverty reduction and the role of the internet. "Transparency and good governance are very important," stressed Angela Merkel.

Security situation in East Africa

President Uhuru Kenyatta explained the security situation in East Africa and the importance of the EU’s continuing support for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The German government takes this point of view extremely seriously, said Angela Merkel, and added, "We will definitely bring this into discussions within the EU."

AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) is a peace keeping mission operated by the African Union in Somalia. It has a United Nations Security Council mandate and currently numbers about 22,000 soldiers, who come from Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda, Burundi and Sierra Leone. The EU provides extensive funding for AMISOM within the framework of its broad engagement to stabilise Somalia.

With a view to the important engagement of then People’s Republic of China in Africa, the Chancellor said that Chinese companies have much to offer in terms of project financing and speed of planning. For German companies it is thus important "to offer complete packages including both financing and implementation".