President William Ruto has announced that Kenya and Djibouti have agreed to abolish visa requirements for travel between the two nations.
Speaking during a state visit to Djibouti, President Ruto said that the plan will strengthen bilateral ties between the two nations.
“To promote people-to-people interactions, trade, and investment, I am firmly committed to eliminating the barriers imposed by visa requirements for Djiboutian citizens traveling to Kenya,” said President Ruto.
“Therefore, Kenya has concluded necessary procedures to enable visa-free visits for citizens of Djibouti to Kenya.”
To ensure that the two nations benefit from a mutual standpoint of gaining a skilled workforce, President Ruto said that Kenya will have labour agreements with Djibouti to improve coordination on labor migration.
“In this regard, I express my gratitude to my esteemed counterpart for hosting over 600 Kenyan professionals in Djibouti. To facilitate this process, we have established a Joint Technical Committee dedicated to these efforts,” he said.
To also improve the adoption of the English language in Djibouti, President Ruto said that Kenya will offer support through training and offer additional personnel.
Djibouti will also provide personnel to Kenyan training institutions to train students in learning the French language.
“Additionally, we engaged in discussions regarding support for English language training and its integration into Djibouti’s curricula. Kenya is fully prepared to provide support and necessary teachers to assist in this endeavor,” he said.
“Conversely, to enhance the language proficiency of Kenyan graduates who seek employment abroad, Kenyan Technical and Vocational Education Training institutions, as well as medical training colleges, will benefit from the inclusion of French language trainees from Djibouti.”
Kenya also signed four Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) among them to facilitate development in the energy sector which will allow the sharing of technical skills, techniques, experiences and information.
Another MOU entails Technical Cooperation in the Development of Youth Affairs and the Arts, which establishes a collaboration framework in the development of modern state-of-the-art facilities in the fields of sports and arts.
Others are an MOU on mutual cooperation in the Foreign Service Academy and finally on collaboration in tourism to strengthen partnerships between the two countries.
