Jordan, Kenya ‘keen on broader cooperation’

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday congratulated Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on his reelection as President of the Republic of Kenya, according to a Royal Court statement.

During the call, the King wished President Kenyatta success in his duties and the Kenyan people further progress and prosperity. 

The two leaders stressed their keenness to expand the horizons of cooperation between them in various fields, in a way that serves their common interests. 

Earlier this year, Jordan opened an embassy in Kenya as part of a plan to outreach to new markets after its traditional markets and routes in the region became almost blocked due to regional political instability. 

In April, Jordan and Kenya agreed to establish a joint business council to exchange economic information and feasibility studies, in addition to organising the Jordanian-Kenyan business forum. 

This agreement comes as a sign of hope for Jordan to offset the economic losses incurred in recent years by increasing the Kenyan-Jordanian bilateral trade and creating a gateway for Jordan into a vibrant market in the African continent. 

Prior to the opening of the embassy, the government inaugurated in Nairobi the Jordan Week, with wide participation from the Kingdom’s private sector. 

Some 180 businesspeople and more than 60 Jordanian companies, representing the construction, mining, food, pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural, Dead Sea products, hospital, ICT, engineering and electrical sectors, took part in the four-day week, the first of its kind for Jordan to be held in Africa. 

The event paved the way into new markets for Jordanian products through acquainting East African countries with the Kingdom’s industrial and service products.