President Uhuru Kenyatta Thursday morning held insightful talks with top Canadian captains of industry who assured him of their continued appetite to invest in Kenya.
The over 25 business executives, including the most recent investor David Kay whose Tenor Capital company has invested US$ 300 million in the renewable energy, expressed their desire to partner with the Government in achieving President Kenyatta’s ‘Big 4’ pillars of development .
Speaking on behalf of the Canadian investors, Fairfax Africa Holdings Corporation CEO, Michael Wilkerson, said they have already updated themselves of what entails the ‘Big 4’ agenda that informed their desire to partner in realizing the transformative vision.
Already 150 Canadian companies are operating in Kenya and many more are lining up to take advantage of the potential offered under the Big 4 pillars of Manufacturing, affordable Housing, Universal Healthcare, Food Security and Nutrition.
In his exhaustive response, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the meeting offered an opportunity to deepen and enhance the already rich and solid partnership between the two countries which has been there since early sixties.
The President said time and again he has reminded traditional partners to take advantage of emerging opportunities in Africa by investing in various sectors for the benefit of all.
He defended the new found relationship between Africa and China against accusations of exploitation by the West. He said China is only taking advantage of existing opportunities, which the West had ignored.
President Kenyatta assured the Canadian investors of his Government’s transparency and openness in doing business, reiterating that he would not allow any public officer to cut self aggrandizing deals with potential investors.