This archive report was first published on 10 December 2019.
On December 10, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta took over the chairmanship of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of nations, succeeding Papua New Guinea for a three-year term.
As part of his inaugural activities, President Kenyatta held bilateral talks with several leaders who were in the country to attend the ninth ACP Heads of State Summit at State House, Nairobi.
During the talks, President Kenyatta met with Faustin-Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic, who assured him of his country's support as he takes over the leadership of the 79-member bloc.
President Kenyatta also discussed the possibility of increasing Kenya Airways flights to Luanda with Vice President de Sousa of Angola, with the aim of deepening trade ties between the two countries.
Responding to a request by the Angolan VP for Kenya's help in expanding his country's nascent tourism sector, President Kenyatta welcomed Angolans to train in the country's tourism colleges, which he termed as "some of the best training institutions in the world".
Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini of Eswatini expressed his country's interest in benefiting from Kenya's centres of excellence, particularly in agriculture, tourism, and agro-processing.
He also welcomed Kenya Airways to start direct flights to Mbabane, with the aim of developing trade and people-to-people ties with Kenya.
During his meeting with the European Union (EU) delegation, President Kenyatta emphasized the need for trade agreements between the EU and ACP to be balanced and mutually beneficial.
European Union commissioner Jutta Urpilainen reassured President Kenyatta of the EU's continued support in its pursuit of development targets, stating that the EU will continue supporting Kenya to achieve its development aspirations.
