Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta woos US investors via video link

NYERI, KENYA:  President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged American businesses to ignore untruths about Africa and invest in the continent.

President Kenyatta said Africa is a place of diverse countries and peoples, with considerable opportunities for trade and investment.

The President made the remarks in a video address to the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles in California, the United States.

A team of Kenyan Government officials and private sector representatives are at the conference.

“I invite you to engage them, and see how we can work together. This conference is a superb opportunity to replace the older, darker view with a more accurate picture on Africa,” the President said.

The President said the country has made substantial investments in infrastructure – the Mombasa port is being expanded, a new standard-gauge railway running from Mombasa to Uganda is being built and a new port in Lamu is under construction.

“We are the gateway to Africa; its ninth-largest economy; and the heart of a community of 150 million people. We aim to make the most of these advantages,” President Kenyatta said.

He said Kenya is keen to form partnerships in ICT, agriculture, energy, financial services and manufacturing.

The President pointed out that though the country has the best Internet connectivity in Africa, more could be done from the experience of others.

“There is potential for partnerships in energy, especially because Kenya has perhaps half of Africa's potential geothermal power,” President Kenyatta also said.

He described Africa as the second-fastest growing continent as demographics and technological shifts have clearly shown.