• Kenya and Hungary enjoy warm and strong bilateral ties dating back to 1964 when Hungary established an Embassy in Nairobi.
• President János Áder will be officially received by President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House on Monday.
Image: COURTESY
Hungary president János Áder will arrive in Kenya on Sunday for a four-day State visit.
In a statement on Friday, State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena said the Hungarian President will be accompanied by First Lady Anita Herczegh.
They will be officially received by their hosts President Uhuru Kenyatta and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta on January 17.
Kanze said Kenya and Hungary enjoy warm and strong bilateral ties dating back to 1964 when Hungary established an Embassy in Nairobi.
President Áder will also visit Ghana where he will view a sewage treatment plant in Kumasi, which employs Hungarian technology.
He is the first Hungarian president to visit Ghana since 1989.
President Áders and his Ghana Counterpart Akufo-Addo on Friday held talks on cooperation aimed at boosting foreign trade and securing mutual benefits.
At the talks, Akufo-Addo pointed to similar objectives for the two countries, saying both Hungary and Ghana had “turned their back on an authoritarian past and built democratic governments with respect for the rule of law and human rights”.
The two presidents confirmed their wish to cooperate in the areas of trade, pharmaceuticals, info-communications, water management, and environment protection, he said.
They also agreed to set up a mixed economic committee to promote bilateral projects.
The two presidents discussed security challenges around the Sahel region, especially concerning jihadist forces that pose a serious threat.
"The presence of UN peacekeepers in the area should be increased rather than reduced, " Akufo-Addo said.
The talks touched upon two model farms built in Ghana with Hungarian assistance, using Hungarian experience in developing grains and plants that tolerate various climates, Áder said, adding that that area offered further opportunities for bilateral cooperation.
Áder noted Hungarian container technologies to purify drinking water in areas with little infrastructure, adding that Hungary would also share technologies to supply small settlements with desalinated sea water.
Áder and Akufo-Addo discussed educational ties and agreed on increasing the number of scholarships offered by Hungary to Ghanaian students. They noted that the number of Ghanaian students in Hungary had increased by 3.5 times during the past five years.
Áder is the first Hungarian president to visit Ghana since 1989.