President Uhuru Kenyatta has described Singapore as a role model to Kenya in economic growth.
Uhuru on Friday said, "Taking heed of the examples set by Singapore and other nations that have emerged from low-income nation status, Kenya has embarked on a transformative agenda to turn our country into a newly industrialising middle-income country through the implementation of Vision 2030."
Uhuru is attending the Singapore Summit where he is the keynote speaker.
Uhuru held talks with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The two leaders agreed to boost trade and cooperation between the two countries.
The Singapore Summit started in 2012 and brings together business leaders from Asia and around the world to discuss global trends in business and geopolitics.
Uhuru cited the recent the Afro-Asian Fintech Festival which was co-sponsored by the Central Bank of Kenya and its Singaporean equivalent — the Monetary Authority of Singapore. It was hosted in Nairobi.
Last year in June, Uhuru said, the Enterprise Singapore Overseas Office was launched in Nairobi to promote trade between the two countries.
Uhuru said Kenya looks at Singapore "as a role model for what can be achieved through conscientious planning, diligent execution of people-centric policies, and the unwavering commitment to eliminating graft and inefficiency".
The President said his administration has picked four main areas from Vision 2030 to increase its focus in the short-term.
He called on Singapore and other Asian countries to invest in Kenya’s Big Four Agenda that include affordable housing, food security, job creation through the promotion of manufacturing, and universal health coverage.
Uhuru called for investments in Kenya’s plan to build metropolitan areas and to expand existing ones to achieve 500,000 new housing units and their attendant supporting infrastructure by 2022.
He also called on Singaporean investors to partner with Kenya in the expansion of the agricultural sector and processing through the utilisation of new technologies and techniques.
“Kenya is open for business and investment for players with a strategic interest in tapping into one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies as well as the enormous potential of the entire Eastern and Central African region,” the President said.
He proposed the establishment of a joint trade committee to enhance bilateral trade and investment.
Prime Minister Lee said Singapore is keen on increasing its cooperation with Kenya.
He said the country is also interested in learning from Kenya’s experience in harnessing mobile money technology to enhance economic inclusion.
Singapore, he said, will support Kenya in improving the efficiency of its ports as it positions itself to serve the Eastern and Central African region effectively.
Earlier, President Kenyatta visited the Housing Development Board in Singapore where he was taken on a tour of the types of houses built by the government for citizens.
Some 80 per cent of the people of Singapore live in government-built houses which are heavily subsidised.
Uhuru was taken through how Singapore has maintained high standards in its housing programmes to ensure citizens get quality houses.
He also visited the Port of Singapore Authority which manages one of the most efficient and busiest seaports in the world.
The Kenya Ports Authority is already working in partnership with PSA to improve the efficiency of Mombasa Port, which like Singapore, is a hub port.
Uhuru was accompanied by Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge and Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga.
Edited by R.Wamochie
