President Kenyatta to attend vital summit;trade and security in focus

President Uhuru Kenyatta has been invited to attend the 44th G7 summit this year which will take place in Quebec, Canada in June. Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the invite during bilateral talks with President Kenyatta at the ongoing Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in London, UK. The G7 Summit, which brings together seven member states, who are the most industrialized, and invited participants, will focus on security issues, trade, climate change among other vital global issues.

President Kenyatta said this presents an important opportunity to present the need to fight poverty, “If we don’t fight poverty it will lead to immigrants from poor countries seeking enw pastures in Western countries, with the potential to negatively affect them,” he said. He added that work must be done to support growth in developing countries, including working to tap greater private sector investment, “Development is critical in securing stability.”

Furthermore, the two leaders reached an agreement for Kenya and Canada to co-host the Oceans Conference which will be held in Kenya in November. “Canada is pleased with the excellent conference on the blue economy you are hosting and is ready to partner with you,” said PM Trudeau. They agreed to partner on the issues dealing with the blue economy and find ways of harnessing ocean resources to support economic growth.

The issue of security was also discussed, with the Canada Prime Minister expressing his concerns that the militants in Yemen could prove destructive to countries in the region. President Kenyatta affirmed that AMISOM troops must remain in Somalia as a result, “We have to ensure that we are working to secure the region, not to undermine the peace and security,” he said.