President William Ruto on Sunday, June 11, announced 600 job opportunities for Kenyan professionals in Djibouti as part of the labour agreements reached between the two countries.
Speaking at a press conference hosted by his Djibouti counterpart, Ismail Omar Guellah, the Head of State noted that to effect the move, both countries had established a Joint Technical Committee.
As a result, Ruto offered 300 positions for Djiboutian students in different institutions of higher learning in Kenya at the same fees applicable to Kenyans.
At the same time, he noted that both governments had agreed to speed up the process of recognising certificates issued by institutions of higher learning in both countries.
“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.
“I have informed the President that Kenya is extending an offer of 300 positions in our higher learning institutions to Djiboutian students, at the same fees applicable to Kenyan students,” Ruto stated.
Additionally, the President noted that Kenya had concluded the necessary processes to enable visa-free travel for Djiboutian citizens to Kenya explaining that it would promote trade, investments as well as interactions between Kenyans and Djiboutians.
To support the training of the English language in Djibouti, Ruto noted that Kenyan teachers would be deployed in Djibouti to assist in the process.
At the same time, he added that Kenyans would also benefit from Djiboutian French trainees adding that teaching the language will be included in the Kenyan Technical and Vocational Education Training institutions and medical training colleges.
“Kenyan Technical and Vocational Education Training institutions, as well as medical training colleges, will benefit from the inclusion of French language trainees from Djibouti to improve the language proficiency of Kenyan graduates seeking employment abroad,” added Ruto.
Moreover, President William Ruto announced that the two countries had reached an agreement seeking to resume direct flights between Kenya and Djibouti.
“As a result, we have agreed to focus on generating demand from both sides in order to resume direct flights; this includes a review of the existing Bilateral Air Service Agreement in order to address existing challenges,” noted Ruto.
Addressing digital connectivity, the Head of State stated that Kenya would review a proposal submitted by the telcos in Djibouti to sell undersea cables to Kenya.
“Taking into account technological advancements and the requirements of both parties, our respective institutions will convene in Nairobi within the next two weeks to advance the discussions on this matter,” he added.
In addition, he stated that the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KENGEN) will drill two geothermal wells in Djibouti under a contract with the Office Djiboutien De Development De Energie Geothermique (ODDEG).
President William Ruto flew to the Republic of Djibouti on Saturday, June 10, to participate in the 14th Ordinary Assembly of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
