President Uhuru Kenyatta was on Friday reaching out to fellow African leaders attending the G7 Summit to align their message on protecting oceans, expanding regional trade and deepening regional stability.
At the time of publishing the article, President Kenyatta was due to speak to Presidents Macky Sall (Senegal) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda) who is also the chairman of the African Union, ahead of the G7 "outreach segment".
The summit of the seven most industrialized nations was due to start later on Friday in the resort of Charlevoix, in Quebec.
President Kenyatta's discussions will focus on oceans security, the African continent’s economic growth and how to prevent, manage and recover from the debilitating disasters caused by climate change.
In Quebec on the margins of the G7 summit, President Kenyatta is expected to hold a number of other bilateral meetings.
[caption caption="President Uhuru Kenyatta in Canada"]
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The key agenda of the meetings with France, Germany and Japan will be the ‘Big Four’ areas of priority in the President’s second and final term in office which cover provision of universal health, quality jobs to Kenyans through enhancing the manufacturing sector, affordable housing (500,000 units within the next four years); and food security and nutrition.
President Kenyatta will discuss the industry with President Emmanuel Macron (France), partnering on technical and vocational education (TVETs) with Chancellor Angela Merkel (Germany), universal health coverage and infrastructure with Prime Minister Shinzō Abe (Japan).
President Kenyatta is also likely to meet Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway to discuss a sustainable way to manage hydrocarbons in the wake of the oil discovery in Lokichar and President Tran Dai Quang of Vietnam to discuss successful models in the rapid expansion of manufacturing and value addition.
Later in the weekend, President Kenyatta is also due to hold talks on bilateral issues with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The President is also due to meet a number of leading Canadian manufacturers to encourage them to invest in Kenya.
President Kenyatta is expected to address the G7 on Saturday to speak on protecting and preserving the oceans, under the theme "Healthy, Productive and Resilient Oceans and Seas, Coasts and Communities."
[caption caption="President Uhuru Kenyatta arriving in Canada"]
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Kenya will in November this year host its inaugural Oceans Summit, during which it will press the case for better and greater exploitation of the seas to ensure the Blue Economy is effectively deployed to lift the lives of Kenyans and other Africans. Kenya has already won Canada's support for the Oceans summit.
At a meeting with President Kenyatta in London on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) in April, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed to co-sponsor the Oceans summit and personally invited the President to the Quebec 2018 G7 summit.
