President Uhuru’s diary in New York

President Uhuru Kenyatta upon arrival in New York (PHOTO: Courtesy)

President Uhuru Kenyatta is in New York for 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 74) which kicked off on last week.

The President will open his engagements on Monday morning with a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and later participate in climate change, Universal Health Coverage (UHC), counter-terrorism and blue economy engagements lined up throughout the week.

The President who is scheduled to address the high-level General Debate on Wednesday has a busy itinerary that includes several side events, bilateral meetings and courtesy calls from various interest groups including Kenyans living in the US.

The President was in Singapore last week where he called on Asian economies to use Kenya as a gateway to Africa’s market of over 1.2 billion people that is worth more than US$ 29 trillion.

He said Kenya is the best entry point for Asian businesses that want to trade in Africa with the coming into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).

“I invite you to use Kenya as a gateway to the African continent. It is not only one of the top-ten fastest growing economies in Africa but is also one of the most pro-business Nations on the continent,” he said.

The President made the statement when he delivered the keynote address at the Singapore Summit 2019 on Saturday morning. The Singapore Summit, started in 2012, is one of the foremost events that brings together business and thought leaders from Asia and around the world to discuss global trends in business, finance and geopolitics.

The President was accompanied by Central Bank Governor Dr Patrick Njoroge, Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga and Amb Johnson Weru, the Director Economic Affairs and Commercial Diplomacy Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.