In a pivotal visit by the President of Kenya, William Samoei Ruto, to India, both countries have solidified their longstanding relationship through a series of five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and strategic collaborations spanning diverse sectors, said Dammu Ravi, Secretary (ER) of the Ministry of External Affairs, while giving insightful remarks on the significant outcomes of President Ruto’s visit.
Agriculture and education took centre stage as an intriguing development emerged after Kenya expressed its intent to offer agricultural farmland to Indian companies, aiming to promote farming activities in the region.
“Interestingly, the Kenyan side has expressed interest in offering to India agriculture farmland, farming land for farming purposes, to be able to encourage Indian companies to go there and do farming,” said Dammu Ravi while addressing a media briefing on the Kenyan President’s India visit.
Open Universities of both countries collaborate in education
Simultaneously, MoUs were inked between the open universities of both nations, igniting a collaborative effort in the field of education. These agreements set the stage for a multifaceted exchange that encompasses cultural, sports, digital solutions, and digital transformation initiatives.
“Education is another area. The open universities of both sides, IGNOU and Kenyan Open University, have entered into an MoU. Space is another area of cooperation. So these are the five MoUs that have been signed,” said the MEA Secretary.
Kenya taking keen interest in India's Fintech space
Kenya’s keen interest in learning from India extends to the fintech space, with a specific focus on UPI and Aadhaar. The health sector emerged as a significant area of cooperation, with discussions ranging from medical expertise exchanges to collaborative efforts in traditional medicine.
“The Kenyan side expressed interest in learning from India in several areas, particularly in fintech, space, the UPI, the Aadhaar, and the health space. They have expressed interest in having greater cooperation, particularly with Indian specialist doctors visiting those countries, and in turn, they would like to have a longer stay for their specialists, nurses, and medical doctors to come to India to learn from us. Traditional medicine also figured very strongly in the bilateral talks,” he added.
