The Principal Secretary (PS), Trade, Alfred K’Ombudo, hosted a delegation of Swiss Parliamentarians in his office at Teleposta towers, Nairobi, to strengthen bilateral trade ties between Kenya and Switzerland by exploring new partnership opportunities to expand trade and investment.
The Delegation included members from both the National Council (Lower Chamber) and the Council of States (Upper Chamber), who also served as representatives of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in the Swiss Parliament.
Speaking during the courtesy call in his office in Nairobi, K’Ombudo said that Kenya is keen on advancing trade ties that will help the country to diversify its products through value addition while creating access to new global markets.
“We see opportunities not only in Kenya’s commodity-driven sectors—tea, coffee, and cut flowers—but also in the services industry, which contributes nearly $6 billion to the country’s exports,” said K’Ombudo.
The PS stressed the importance of identifying areas of mutual interest and cooperation to enhance trade and investment between the two countries.
He noted that Kenya could leverage on Switzerland’s expertise in pharmaceuticals, machinery, and renewable energy to attract investment and drive economic growth.
“Our country seeks investments in sectors where Switzerland has expertise. We import nearly one billion in pharmaceuticals, with half coming from India,” he said.
PS K’Ombudo reiterated Kenya’s commitment to adhering to environmental standards to attract trade and investment by maintaining supply chains that are ethical and verifiable to guard sustainability.
‘‘Kenya is committed to combating climate change and on trade and sustainable development; 93 per cent of the manufacturing sector is green, and there are plans to attain 100 per cent,’’ he noted.
Speaking during the event, Thomas Aeschi, a member of the Swiss National Council and Head of the EFTA delegation, applauded Kenya’s proactive approach to strengthening trade relations with global partners through agreements such as the Kenya-UK Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the Kenya-EU EPA, and the newly signed Kenya-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
He also emphasized Switzerland’s interest in establishing similar trade agreements.
Aeschi noted that Switzerland has signed free trade agreements with over 40 countries, the majority of which are non-African.
“We have signed a lot of trade agreements with other countries, few of which are African. We now want to pursue the same engagements in Africa, especially Kenya, which is a strong economic pillar in the East Africa Community (EAC),” he said.
He also noted the various opportunities that can be explored to deepen trade and investment between Kenya and Switzerland through bilateral talks to come up with an agreement that can promote free trade between the two countries.
By Joan Ogolla
