President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked African leaders attending the G7 Summit to align their messages on protecting oceans, expanding regional trade and deepening regional stability.
Uhuru met Presidents Macky Sall of Senegal and
Rwanda's
Paul Kagame (African Union chairperson)
ahead of the G7 'outreach segment' on Saturday.
At the meeting with Sall, he pledged to open a new embassy in Dakar in four months to boost trade and people-to-people relations.
Uhuru and Kagame focused on regional security, trade, climate change and aligning Africa's position ahead of the G7 summit.
The leaders also sought clearer follow-up mechanisms for decisions agreed at
the G7, which is key to meaningful engagement.
The summit of the seven most industrialised nations started on Friday in the resort of Charlevoix in Quebec, which is in a
time zone seven hours behind Nairobi.
The President is expected to address the G7 on Saturday on protecting and preserving the oceans under the theme 'Healthy, Productive and Resilient Oceans and Seas, Coasts and Communities'.
His discussions
will focus on ocean security, the continent’s economic growth and how to prevent, manage and recover from the debilitating disasters caused by climate change.
In November, Kenya will
host its inaugural Oceans Summit, through which it will push for better and greater exploitation of the seas to ensure the Blue Economy is effectively deployed to improve lives.
The country has already won Canada's support for the Oceans Summit.
At a meeting with Uhuru in London, on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed to co-sponsor the Oceans summit and personally invited the President to the 2018 G7 summit.
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President Uhuru Kenyatta during his meeting with Paul Kagame of Rwanda ahead of the G7 Summit in the resort of Charlevoix in Quebec, June 8, 2018. /PSCU
On the margins of the G7 Summit, Uhuru is expected to hold a number of bilateral meetings. Among those he will meet are leaders of
South Africa and the Indian Ocean Island nation of Seychelles.
The key agenda of meetings with France, Germany and Japan is the Big Four - universal health, quality jobs for Kenyans through enhancing the manufacturing sector, affordable housing (500,000 units within the next four years), and food security and nutrition.
Uhuru will discuss industry with President Emmanuel Macron (France), partnering on technical and vocational education (TVETs) with Chancellor Angela Merkel (Germany), and universal health coverage and infrastructure with Prime Minister Shinzō Abe.
He is also likely to
meet Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway to discuss sustainable ways of managing hydrocarbons in the wake of the oil discovery in Lokichar, Turkana County.
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Uhuru could also meet President Tran Dai Quang of Vietnam for talks on successful models in the rapid expansion of manufacturing and value addition.
Later at the weekend, he will hold talks on bilateral issues with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The President is also due to meet a number of leading Canadian manufacturers to encourage them to invest in Kenya.