Trade Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya on Tuesday announced plans to appoint a Qatar representative to preside over the investor desk to be set up in his Ministry.
Speaking during a trade summit in Qatar's capital, Doha, CS Mvurya stated that the move would help to strengthen the existing relations between the Kenya Chamber of Commerce and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce.
A chamber of commerce is an association or network of businesspeople designed to promote and protect the interests of its members. It can also be at an international scope between two or more countries.
“We have resolved to strengthen relations between Kenya Chamber of Commerce & Qatar Chamber of Commerce. Further, we will have a Qatar Investor Desk manned by a representative from the Qatar Chamber of Commerce in my ministry to enhance the safety and trust of Qatar investments,” Mvurya announced.
During the summit, the CS also engaged the Qatar Minister of Commerce and Industry of the State of Qatar. The officials discussed ways of getting rid of investment and trade barriers between Kenya and Qatar to improve trade and investment volumes.
The discussions were also centred on the trade of Kenyan meat and meat products, foreign investment in the manufacturing of fertiliser, and privatisation programs in the country.
“We also discussed collaboration to enhance the competitiveness of our Nairobi financial centre and effectiveness of privatisation programs,” the CS stated.
"We resolved to come up with a mechanism to progress the action points through a technical working framework between our ministries to be signed during President William Ruto's state visit in Qatar end of the year."
The latest development came barely three days after Labour CS Alfred Mutua announced the government's intention to send thousands of workers to Qatar following a labour agreement reached between the two countries.
During his meeting with Qatar’s Minister of Labour, Dr Ali bin Samikh Al-Marri, the officials discussed the finalisation of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will open doors for Kenyans to access professional roles in sectors such as health, education, and hospitality in Qatar.
The leaders also deliberated on the Asian country's potential investments in Kenya, including their support for the Affordable Housing Programme and Information, Communication and Technology (ICT).
"This significant meeting underscored the deepening partnership between Kenya and Qatar, with a focus on expanding labour migration opportunities for skilled Kenyans," CS Mutua stated.
