Nairobi, August 30, 2010
President Kibaki departs to Swaziland for COMESA Summit
President Mwai Kibaki has left the country for a three-day official visit to Swaziland where he will attend the 14th Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit of the Heads of State and government.
The COMESA region is Kenya's largest export destination. Last year, Kenya exports to COMESA were worth Kshs 110 billion.
COMESA institutions based in Nairobi include the COMESA insurance institution- ZEP-RE, the COMESA Monetary Institute and the Regional Reference Laboratory, catering for plant protection. The headquarters of the PTA bank was located in Nairobi until 2009.
Kenya is also expected to hold a high-level conference for mobilization of resources for infrastructure development in the Northern Corridor in October this year.
The 14th COMESA summit will examine, among other things, developments on the regional integration agenda, including progress towards full implementation of the Comesa Customs Union, the tripartite cooperation between Comesa-East African Community-Southern African Development Community, and how the region can enhance the use of science and technology for the benefit of its people.
During the Summit, Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is scheduled to hand over the Chairmanship of COMESA to His Majesty King Mswati III.
This year's COMESA Summit theme is 'Harnessing Science and Technology for Development'.
COMESA, whose current membership stands at 19 countries with a combined population of 389 million people, has an annual import bill of US$ 32 billion against an export bill of US$82 billion. To spur growth, COMESA's strategy is economic prosperity through regional integration.
The plane carrying President Kibaki and his delegation departed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport shortly after midday.
President Kibaki is accompanied by Cabinet Ministers Moses Wetangula and Chirau Ali Mwakwere and the High Commissioner to Zambia who is also the Permanent Representative to COMESA Amb. Dr. Kipyego Cheluget.
At the airport to see off the President, were the Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Internal Security Minister Prof. George Saitoti, Defense Minister Yusuf Haji among other senior Government officials.
Source: Presidential Press Service
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SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HONOURABLE MWAI KIBAKI C.G.H., M.P., PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA DURING THE FOURTEENTH COMESA SUMMIT OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT, 31ST AUGUST, 2010, LOZITHA, SWAZILAND
Your Majesty, King Mswati III, of the Kingdom of Swaziland, our host and Chairman of the COMESA Authority,Your Excellencies,Distinguished Delegates,Ladies and Gentlemen,On behalf of the people of Kenya, I salute Your Majesty, as well as the Government and People of the Kingdom of Swaziland, for the successful hosting of this Summit. I also extend my congratulations to Your Majesty, for assuming the Chairmanship of our Organization at this critical time of the second year of transition towards the full implementation of our Customs Union.
Allow me to also applaud the outgoing Chair, His Excellency Dr. Robert Mugabe, for the able leadership that he has provided to the Organization during his tenure in the past one year. I also congratulate His Excellency Bingu Wa Mutharika, the President of the Republic of Malawi, who is also the chair of the African Union, for assuming the Vice Chairmanship of our Organization.
Your Majesty, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The theme of this year's Summit "Harnessing Science and Technology for Development" is relevant to our development endeavours. My Government is aware of the critical role of science and technology in economic growth and sustainable development. Indeed, it is for this reason that we have implemented a wide range of measures intended to promote science and technology.
In our country, one sector in which science and technology has played a key role in generating employment and wealth, as well as reducing the cost of doing business, is the Information and Communication Technology sector.
You may be aware, for example, of an innovation in mobile telephony money transfer developed by Kenyans popularly known as "M-Pesa". This service currently has over 10 million users.
The service has enabled millions of unbanked Kenyans to conduct financial transactions both in the rural and urban areas using mobile telephones. These transactions include money transfer, payment of utility bills and mobile banking, just to name a few.
Our experience has demonstrated that scientific and technological innovations can contribute enormously to national development. We must therefore mainstream science and technology especially in our agricultural and industrial production for rapid and sustainable economic development.
Due to climate change effects on our production, more investment is now required in technology related to infrastructure for water and irrigation.
We can also do so by adopting new and modern methods of farming, including improving our traditional agriculture through innovations such as modern organic farming. It is also critical that we develop our own industries for producing fertilizer and other agricultural inputs.
I am glad to report that in Kenya, we recently launched the Agricultural Sector Development Strategy and signed the comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme under COMESA. I wish to propose that we commit ourselves to report progress made and the tangible impacts that have resulted from this programme in our next summit in Malawi.
Mr. Chairman,
Your Majesty, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Among the many challenges the region is experiencing is inadequate infrastructure, in the areas of energy, as well as transport and telecommunications.
This has affected our competitive edge due to the high cost of doing business. I am glad to note that COMESA is working in harmony with our sister organizations, SADC and the EAC, and has come up with priority investment projects in these sectors.
Following the successful North-South Corridor Infrastructure Conference held in Lusaka in April last year, a second conference of its kind for the Northern and Central Corridors will be held in Kenya in October this year.
My Government is looking forward to hosting this important Conference as scheduled in Nairobi and I am happy to inform you that the COMESA Secretariat is already working with us to ensure its success.
We welcome all of you to come and participate in the event that will make this region more competitive and attractive. My Government will also continue to support the efforts by the EAC, COMESA and SADC to pursue the attainment of a grand Tripartite Free Trade Area, as we work towards a United Africa.
Mr. ChairmanI now take liberty to draw your attention to the volatile peace and security situation in our region as we commemorate the year of Peace and security in Africa. As we look ahead, we need to give priority to peace and security as a cornerstone for development and our regional integration endeavours. Let me particularly highlight the perennial problem of Somalia. As you are aware, the lack of a reliable and stable government in Somalia has immensely contributed to the growth of insurgent militant groups in Somalia as well as the rebirth of piracy along the Indian Ocean coastline.I therefore wish to applaud the recent decisions taken by the IGAD Member States both in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and in Kampala, Uganda to give priority to the Somalia Peace and security issues. I invite COMESA members to play a more active role in support of AU and IGAD's efforts to restore peace in Somalia.
Mr. Chairman
With regard to the Sudan and the forthcoming referendum in January next year, I wish to applaud the leaders in the Sudan for agreeing to work together for a peaceful and prosperous country. So far positive achievements have been realized, most notably the recent general elections. I further do recognize the fact that the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) is at a critical stage. A number of important milestones including the issues of border demarcation, among others have not yet been addressed.
I call upon all COMESA Member States to support and encourage the people of Sudan to resolve the outstanding issues in the CPA as we look forward to the holding of a peaceful referendum in the Sudan. It is my wish that the international community would appreciate the delicate situation of Sudan and act proactively. We should not isolate the people of Sudan. Let us encourage them to play their rightful role in the community of nations.
In concluding my remarks, Mr. Chairman, I wish to note that we in Kenya take pride in having remained a dedicated member of COMESA from the time of its formation as a Preferential Trade Area to the present day.
I wish to reaffirm Kenya's commitment to giving impetus to the customs union process by implementing COMESA programmes and giving the necessary support to the Secretary General and his team. We look forward to increased and shared prosperity for our region.
Thank you God bless you all.
