Kenyan President William Ruto is visiting Germany on September 13, 2024, where he is meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. The two men are expected to discuss migration issues in particular. Explanations.
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With our correspondent in Berlin, Pascal Thibault
The annual party of the German president, in the park of Bellevue Palace, welcomes for the first time, this year, a non-European country. Kenya is indeed in the spotlight and its president William Ruto is in Berlin for the occasion.
But beyond the festivities, an agreement is also planned between the Kenyan head of state and Chancellor Scholz on migration.
Germany’s interest in Africa has indeed increased in recent years. This was already seen at the end of the Angela Merkel era, chancellor from 2005 to 2021. And it continues with her successor, Olaf Scholz.
Energy resources and labor
Berlin, after the end of Russian gas deliveries, must diversify its energy sources. And Africa is an interesting partner, particularly for hydrogen. Kenya is a pioneer in the development of renewable energy and is committed to the fight against global warming.
And Germany, which lacks skilled labour, is also banking on Africa. Previous trips by the Chancellor, but also by the Ministers of Labour and Development, to Nigeria and Ghana, for example, have highlighted this interest.
Also readHydrogen: Germany wants to bet on African potential
In Kenya, bus drivers have been selected to be trained and come to work in Germany, for example. The country also has assets in new technologies and digital technology. A bilateral migration agreement will be signed today. It provides for the reception of qualified Kenyans in Germany and the resumption by Nairobi of rejected asylum seekers.