Ruto, Suluhu talks centre on trade, tourism
By Nyaboga KiagePresident William Ruto says Kenya will work with Tanzania to market the countries as ideal tourist destinations.
President Ruto spoke on Monday after talks with his counterpart Samia Suluhu in Dar es Salaam.
Tanzania is President Ruto’s final destination of a regional tour which also led him to Ethiopia and Uganda.
“President Samia and I have agreed on Tourism matters. Both Kenya and Tanzania have resources in this sector. Our wildlife comes from Tanzania and vice versa. They don’t need passports or visas. That is how we should work. If our animals interact freely, then why shouldn’t we?” said Ruto.
The talks between Presidents Ruto and Samia also centred on trade, security, logistics, and transport between the two countries which are among the largest economies in Africa.
Tanzania has not only emerged as Kenya’s main market for maize and onions but is also among the country with the highest source of remittances by Kenyans based in Africa.
Kenyans have also invested heavily in Tanzania, especially in the banking and real estate sectors.
The two countries are also home to the Mombasa and Dar es Salaaem ports, considered amongst the biggest in Africa, and which provide services to several countries in the region, including Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In Ethiopia, President Ruto witnessed the launch of Safaricom Ethiopia, a Kenyan-owned telecommunications firm that will offer telephone, internet, and mobile money services to a lucrative market of 120 million people.
The President, who is accompanied by First Lady Rachel was also a guest at the 60th Independence Day celebrations in Uganda.
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