President William Ruto has held high-level talks with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev aimed at deepening economic cooperation between Kenya and Azerbaijan in key sectors including oil and gas, renewable energy, affordable housing and trade.
The two leaders met at the Baku Olympic Stadium on the sidelines of the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum currently underway in Baku, Azerbaijan.
In a statement after the meeting, Ruto said Kenya and Azerbaijan enjoy cordial diplomatic relations anchored on mutual prosperity and shared development goals.
“Kenya and Azerbaijan enjoy cordial diplomatic relations founded on a shared commitment to progress and mutual prosperity,” Ruto said.
“We are exploring strategic areas of partnership to unlock the vast potential for cooperation between our two nations and expand opportunities for our people.”
The discussions focused heavily on energy cooperation, with the two countries exploring collaboration in the oil and gas sector as Kenya seeks to strengthen its energy infrastructure and industrial growth.
Ruto said Azerbaijan had expressed interest in Kenya’s proposed oil refinery project, which is expected to serve not only Kenya but the wider East African region.
“We also discussed Azerbaijan’s interest in the proposed oil refinery project aimed at serving the East African region,” he said.
The leaders further discussed renewable energy partnerships as Kenya moves to achieve its ambitious target of generating 10,000 megawatts of electricity.
“Our discussions focused on fostering collaboration in the oil and gas sector, investments to scale up our affordable housing programme, and renewable energy partnerships to support our target of generating 10,000MW of power,” Ruto stated.
Affordable housing, one of the Kenya Kwanza administration’s flagship programmes, also featured prominently during the talks, with the President seeking investment opportunities to support ongoing housing projects across the country.
Kenya has in recent years intensified efforts to address the country’s housing deficit through large-scale affordable housing developments aimed at creating jobs while improving access to decent housing for low and middle-income earners.
Beyond energy and housing, the two heads of state explored opportunities to strengthen trade ties and market access for Kenyan products.
The meeting comes as Kenya continues to pursue economic diplomacy aimed at attracting foreign direct investment and expanding export markets for local products.
Ruto is in Azerbaijan to attend the World Urban Forum, a major global platform bringing together heads of state, policymakers, urban planners, development agencies and private sector players to discuss sustainable urbanisation, housing and infrastructure development.
The forum is expected to provide countries with opportunities to strengthen partnerships and share practical solutions to challenges facing rapidly growing urban populations.
According to State House, Ruto will use the sidelines of the forum to hold a series of bilateral meetings with world leaders, investors and development partners aimed at strengthening cooperation in energy, ICT, infrastructure and trade.
