President Emmanuel Macron will on March 13-14 make the first state visit by a French President to Kenya.
He is coming from another visit in Ethiopia.
Top on the President Macron’s agenda will be cementing Franco-Kenyan agreement on the promotion of skills and talents through education, training, innovation and research.
An agreement on the road map to build “a balanced knowledge and skill partnership, serving young people in both countries” will be signed, French Ambassador to Kenya Aline Kuster–Menager said at a press conference at the embassy on Friday.
“France is a key economic development partner to Kenya in education and research as well as in the Blue Economy. We are particularly focused on production training to create jobs through TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training),”
she said.
President Macron will be accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Environment minister François de Rugy, who replaced
Nicolas Hulot, an environmental-activist-turned-minister who resigned his post during a dramatic live radio interview, and their Higher Education counterpart Frédérique Vidal.
Agence Française de Développement
(AFD) Director-General will also be in the delegation.
Among the issues in the bilateral talks will be the promotion of cross mobility and development of double degrees, research and innovation by financing university infrastructure, and strengthening employability, professional and entrepreneurial skills.
There will be the signing of agreements in this area.
“The prospects of university and scientific cooperation between both parties will be discussed in the framework of a conference to be organised every two years in Kenya,” the ambassador said.
She said the two countries the two states will reinforce language exchanges by promoting their languages in the partner’s education system.
From September, young Kenyans aged 20-35 will be eligible for the English-speaking assistant programme run by the International Centre for Pedagogical Studies (CIEP), operator of the Ministry of Education.
The arrangement will see Kenyans teach English in French schools or/and universities while familiarising themselves with Kenyan culture.
“Visa issues to enhance this mobility will be addressed,” the envoy said.
Last year, 96 Kenyan students left for France, adding to the 325, 000 international students in the country.
As of now, there are 23 active university cooperation deals between the two countries.
In scientific cooperation, there are three key research institutes in Nairobi — French Institute of Research in Africa,(IFRA), Research Institute for Development (IRD) and
International Cooperation Centre for Agronomic Research Applied to Development (CIRAD).
During the visit, President Macron will also attend as the chief guest, the Fourth United Nations Environmental Assembly that runs from March 11-15. On March 14, he will open the One Planet Summit, which will be held alongside UNEA 4.
Co-chaired by Presidents Macron and Uhuru Kenyatta, the high-level session of the OPS will gather heads of state and ministers involved in its coalitions or heading national delegation to UNEA-4 and representatives of the finance and the business sectors, local governments, civil society, and youth. The session will look into “promoting renewable energy and fostering resilience, adaptation and biodiversity”.
Macron will also have a session with students at the University of Nairobi.
President Uhuru had initially stated that
Kenya and France enjoy strong bilateral ties and he is pleased that the two countries have continued to deepen their relations.