Africa has been the largest destination for Kenya’s exports in the last 10 years, accounting for 37.7 per cent of the Sh594.12 billion goods it sold last year.
Similarly, Asia is a key source of Kenya’s imports, accounting for 64.2 per cent of the Sh1.73 trillion products shipped in last year.
Kenya is set to open 16 more diplomatic missions in Africa and Asia in the next three years.
Foreign Affairs secretary Monica Juma said on Thursday Kenya would open six full resident missions in Accra, Abidjan, Djibouti, Maputo and Rabat, four consulates in Goma, Lagos, Arusha and Cape Town and two liaison offices in Kismayu and Hargeisa.
In Asia, Kenya will open a resident mission in Jakarta and consulates in Mumbai as well as Guangzhou and Shanghai in China.
“Our diplomacy seeks the pursuit, promotion and protection of our unique identity, national aspirations and our sovereignty from the inevitable foreign influence whilst building and consolidating our competitive edge,” she said. Opening a new diplomatic mission is normally expensive and can, on average, guzzle up about Sh200 million annually.
However, in the era of economic diplomacy, Kenya hopes to gain in the regions that account for the bulk of its international trade.
Africa has been the largest destination for Kenya’s exports in the last 10 years, accounting for 37.7 per cent of the Sh594.12 billion goods it sold last year.
Similarly, Asia is a key source of Kenya’s imports, accounting for 64.2 per cent of the Sh1.73 trillion products shipped in last year.
“We need to have a footprint globally. In an optimal situation, we should be in all the 193 countries,” said the CS.
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