Japan established diplomatic relations with Kenya shortly after Nairobi’s independence and set up an embassy in 1964. Kishida will be the first Japanese Prime Minister to visit Kenya since 2016 when Shinzo Abe visited for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad). Last year, Kishida had told African leaders of Japan's desire to front itself as a "partner growing together with Africa". Japan has spent at least $2 billion on grants and technical cooperation on these projects even though Kenya also owes about $3 billion in loans to Japan. After the summit in Nairobi, Kishida will then visit Mozambique where he will hold talks with the country’s President Filipe Nyusi.

Source: Daily Nation May 02, 2023 17:12 UTC