Mombasa and Ukrainian City of Odesa have signed a partnership deal to unlock tourism potential.
The agreement was signed by Odesa Deputy Mayor Oleg Bryndak and Mombasa Deputy Governor William Kingi on Wednesday.
“The agreement was signed with the support of Odesa City Council, Embassy of Ukraine in Kenya, Honorary Consulate of Ukraine in Mombasa and the Mombasa county government.
"The agreement between Ukrainian Odesa and Kenyan Mombasa will help to establish and strengthen the ties between the business circles of the two cities, unlock mutual tourism potential and expand cooperation between cities’ ports,” Ukraine Embassy said in a statement.
During the visit, Ambassador Andrii Pravednyk, Embassy’s Consul Artem Makarov and the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Mombasa Oleksii Sierkov held a meeting with the representatives of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mombasa branch.
They discussed the potential areas of cooperation between Ukrainian entrepreneurs and Mombasa. Additionally, Ukrainian diplomats met business representatives in Mombasa to facilitate the development of people-to-people contacts with the county.
Like Mombasa, Odessa is a tourism destination, a seaport and transport hub located on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea in Ukraine. It is the fourth largest city in the Eastern Europe country.
In May 2018, then-Ukraine Minister for Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin opened the Honorary Consulate in Mombasa, the sea gateway to East Africa and a hub where trade routes from across the world converge.
At the time, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho said the consulate would create direct linkage between Ukrainians and Mombasa residents.
He further noted that it would enhance partnerships and investment, "especially in the sustainable exploitation of blue economy manufacturing and tourism sectors".
Since 2016, Ukraine has intensified its political and trade relations with Kenya. In December 2016, the first trade mission from Ukraine visited Kenya to establish direct contacts with the government and the business community.
To enhance tourism and people-to-people relations, former Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya in 2019 told the Star Kenya needed to have active advertisements in Ukrainian media, noting: "Tourism should be repetitive; a friend tells a friend."
