DUBLIN: Recently appointed Ireland Ambassador to Kenya, Dr Vincent O’Neill has praised the growth of trade between Kenya and Ireland between 2005 and 2014. The trade grew by 11% in 2005, from € 22 million to € 47 million in 2014.
Ireland reopened its embassy in Kenya in October 2014, for the first time in 26 years. The embassy was closed in 1988, due to an economic recession in Ireland. Now with the recent economic growth in Ireland, at 5%, they seek to reopen some of its embassies in sub-Saharan Africa, and Nairobi has been given the highest priority. “We recognise Nairobi as an important hub and Kenya as a hugely important economic centre which plays a leading role in political, monetary and economic intergration of the East Africa Community,” the Ambassador told The Standard, noting that the business between the two countries is likely to grow in the future. “There is reason to believe these figures will significantly increase in the coming years,” said the ambassador.
An Irish business network, Business Ireland Kenya BIK) was established last year and now has more than 120 members. BIK members are involved in a wide range of business which include mineral exploration, financial services, security, education, ICT services, tourism, construction and pharmaceutical.
