After a long and winding journey that started in December 2015, when the World Trade Organisation (WTO) chose Nairobi as the venue for the 10th Ministerial Conference, time has come for us to actualise the dream of hosting the world in Nairobi.
The meeting, the first of its kind in Africa, kicks off on Tuesday December 15, 2015 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), where we expect to receive thousands of visitors. It has been a year of hard work and tough negotiations.
It has been a year of give and take as more than 160 member countries weighed in on diverse trade issues, asking what will work best for different members and for the world.
It hasn’t been easy. There is still a lot of ground to be covered in the coming week.
But I am glad to note that we have kept an unequivocal focus on making sure that trade plays a powerful role as an instrument of growth in the world.
That work will be taken to the next level in Nairobi, where we hope for a binding agreement on diverse issues that will impact world trade for many years to come.
As a country, we have made all the necessary arrangements to make the stay of the delegates comfortable and memorable.
We hope delegates will find time to enjoy the warmth and hospitality of the Kenyan people. But it is important to underline that this is not just about Kenya. It is about Africa.
Nairobi will be flying the flag for the whole continent as this is the first time, as earlier stated, that this level of World Trade Organisation meeting comes to Africa.
Having the meeting here underlines that Africa has come of age. The tremendous growth the continent has registered in the last decade has shown that we are truly ready for business.
In Nairobi, delegates will witness for themselves the story of Africa rising. We hope they will also find time to enjoy the beauty and the warmth that this continent offers.
On substantive matters, we have faith in the work that has been done throughout the year and hope that delegates will have the courage to agree and deliver on diverse issues that will have major ramifications for global trade.
For Africa, we have big hopes for issues that touch on areas of agriculture and development. For instance, we hope for good results on measures of export compensation for agriculture as well as measures that boosts the least developed countries capacity to trade.
In September this year, the world met in New York and adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs); hailed as an integrated and transformative vision for a new better world.
The global goals see trade as a fundamental element of that transformation.
We can be inspired by the words of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who called the global goals an “agenda for people, to end poverty in all its forms.” In this year of the launch of those goals, we hope that the vibrancy and the youth that permeates all facets of life in Africa can offer new impetus to the delegates to deliver a transformative declaration for the world.
By doing so, the delegates will underscore the important role of WTO and trade in building a firm foundation for employment and wealth creation for all people.
These are important pillars in the massive reduction of poverty envisioned in the sustainable development goals.
Once again, on behalf of Kenya and on behalf of all of Africa, it is a tremendous honour to welcome all the delegates home to Mother Africa.
We hope the delegates will enjoy their stay and will bring home the bacon.
