Kenya will be hosting the first ever conference that will bring together the African Union member countries and the countries that are members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The conference will be held in Nairobi next year in an effort by Kenya to bridge the gap between Africa and the Caribbean people.
President Uhuru Kenyatta made the announcement when he hosted Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley at the Statehouse.
PM Mottley was received in an elaborate ceremony complete with a 19 gun salute before she held talks with President Kenyatta.
The two leaders later held bilateral talks where they were joined by their respective delegations.
They later oversaw the signing of two agreements between Kenya and Bardbados as the two countries announced that they will be bridges between Africa and the Caribbean.
One of the agreements that President Kenyatta and PM Mottley witnessed was for the avoidance of double taxation. The other agreement was a Memorandum of Understanding on Health that will allow Kenyan universities to enter into partnership with Barbados in training medical students.
PM Mottley said her country is eager to have Kenya Airways fly to Barbados and onwards to North America as part of efforts to link the two regions.
“It boggles the mind that despite all the time there has been no attempt to deepen the relationship between the two regions,” said the Barbadian leaders.
She said Barbados will appoint an Ambassador to Kenya in April next year as she invited Kenyan investors to explore opportunities in her country and use it as a launching pad for the larger Caribbean markets.
She said Kenya and Barbados can partner in many fields including tourism where Kenya is a world leader in safari destinations while Barbados leads in Beach tourism.
President Kenyatta said PM Mottley’s visit is historic since it is the first visit by a Barbadian leader to East Africa.
He said he is ready to champion and forge close links between Africa and the people of the Caribbean.
The President noted that Kenya and Barbados will soon sign an air services agreement to lay ground for direct flights between the two countries.
He said issues of mutual interest will be discussed at the conference that will bring together the African Union and CARICOM.
Cabinet Secretaries Monica Juma (Foreign Affarirs), Ukur Yattani (National Treasury), Joe Mucheru (ICT), Peter Munya ( Trade and Industry), Amina Mohamed (Sports), Farida Karoney (Lands) and Sicily Kariuki (Health) attended the bilateral meeting.
