Kenya and Eritrea agreed on Thursday at the State House to permanently abolish visa requirements for their citizens for smooth traveling and trade activities.
The announcement was made at State House in Nairobi when President Ruto held consultative talks with the President of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki.
“We must have a regime that is free of barriers to further integration, strengthen connectivity and enhance regional trade,” President Ruto said.
Eritrea and Kenya agreed that there exists huge trade and investment potential between them that calls for structured collaboration at the advanced stage of working together.
Among the outlined key focus include renewable energy, water management, agriculture, transport, security, tourism, sports mining, the blue economy, and education.
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As of 2020, the trade volume between Kenya and Eritrea stood at Sh73.4 million as compared with Sh257 million in 2015.
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In a statement, President Ruto said that the relatively low figures were an indicator that the opportunity in trade is “enormous”.
“With the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area, we must cooperate in mapping out mutually beneficial strands of economic opportunities for our countries,” Ruto added.
Further, President Ruto clarified that he has paved the way for cooperation for regional peace and development between the two countries.
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Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki on the other hand said Eritrea was committed to taking measures that facilitate the deepening of economic, social, and cultural relations with Kenya in a magnificent order of the operation.
“We will keep promoting joint investment and work together towards enhancing sustainable peace and security,” Afwerki said during their joint media briefing at State House in Nairobi.
