President William Ruto has underscored the strength of Kenya’s relations with Italy, saying the two countries have enjoyed excellent diplomatic cooperation for six decades across trade, agriculture, health, culture and education.
In a farewell to outgoing Italian Ambassador Roberto Natali, President Ruto pledged Kenya’s readiness to work closely under Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa, which aims to deepen partnerships in energy, infrastructure and health.
Statistical trends already suggest fertile ground for this optimism. In 2024 Kenya’s horticultural exports to the EU slipped from 213,170 metric tonnes valued at KSh 80.3 billion in 2023, to 188,956 tonnes worth KSh 71.8 billion.
Italy accounted for approximately 3 per cent of these volumes and 2 per cent of the value. Despite the drop, Kenya aims to grow its horticultural exports to Italy to KSh 3.6 billion over the coming five years.
In another key sector, Italy and Kenya have launched joint interventions. Under the Mattei Plan, the Italian Climate Fund and the IFC (International Finance Corporation) committed USD 210 million to biofuel development. The investment seeks to expand production and processing of oilseeds, increasing feedstock output from 44,000 tonnes to 500,000 tonnes annually and supporting up to 200,000 smallholder farmers in Kenya. Ministry of Foreign Affairs+1
Kenya also benefits from small-scale but meaningful agricultural cooperation. For example, the Italy-financed Arabika project—which cost about €3 million—has worked with Kenyan institutions to improve the coffee value chain, engaging over 30,000 smallholder farmers and creating new brands while strengthening farmer cooperatives and traceability. ANSA.it
