Ruto on a state visit in China
On Thursday, Kenyan President William Ruto met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing. During the bilateral talks, the two heads of state signed a total of 20 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs), including in the areas of science, vocational training, e-commerce, water resources, health, military and transport infrastructure. The latter also includes the joint declaration on cooperation in the railway sector. Here, China wants to invest in the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line from Nairobi to the Ugandan border via a public-private partnership (PPP). As the Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation reports, the financing is to be split as follows: up to 30 % will be provided by the Kenyan government, 40 % will come from a commercial co-operation between Chinese infrastructure lenders and Kenyan banks, and a further 30 % is to be contributed by the Chinese government. In addition, Chinese companies are to be exclusively commissioned with the construction and operation of the route. The extension of the motorway from Nairobi to Nakuru is also to be financed by such a partnership.
The meeting between Ruto and Xi took place as part of the Kenyan president’s five-day state visit. On Wednesday, Ruto took part in the Kenya-China Investor Roundtable, at which seven contracts totalling around 950 million US dollars were signed with Chinese companies like Wu Yi, Rongtai Steel, the Zonken Group and the Chongqing Shancheng Apparel Group. This is intended to specifically promote projects as part of Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). 430 million US dollars are to be invested in agriculture, 320 million in the industrial sector and 230 million in the expansion of tourism. During Ruto’s visit, talks on a direct flight connection between Nairobi and Beijing are also on the agenda; in addition, an agreement on the construction of a Foreign Affairs Complex is expected to be concluded.
The visit to Beijing is Ruto’s third visit to China – following his participation in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in September last year and the third Belt and Road Forum in 2023. According to observers, this visit marks a change of course in Ruto’s China policy. While he used clear anti-China rhetoric during the election campaign and blamed the People’s Republic for Kenya’s debt situation, Ruto has now emphasised that he wants to take the Chinese-Kenyan partnership to a new level. According to analysts, this change of course is partly due to failed attempts to mobilise funding from the USA and Europe. Ruto is also under increasing pressure domestically to demonstrate success in foreign trade policy. Added to this is the introduction of a ten per cent tariff on all Kenyan exports by the Trump administration. Additional uncertainty is caused by the unclear future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which expires this year. Kenya is one of the African countries that receives duty-free access to the US market for over 1,800 products under the AGOA agreement. At the same time, China is Kenya’s largest bilateral lender, despite the increasing financial burden of the loans taken out. However, Kenya is also an attractive trading partner for China – and the most important in East Africa. In the first quarter of the year, Chinese-Kenyan trade increased by 11.9 % to around 2.24 billion US dollars. Kenya is also considered a key partner of Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative. As part of this initiative, China has already invested heavily in Kenyan infrastructure projects, including the railway link between Nairobi and Mombasa and the port of Lamu.
African Space Agency officially inaugurated
The African Space Agency (AfSA) was officially opened in Cairo on Sunday. The opening ceremony at the headquarters of the new African Space Agency was attended by AU Commissioner Moses Vilaketi, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Angola’s Telecommunications Minister Mário Augusto da Silva Oliveira and other high-ranking officials. Numerous representatives of the international space community were also present.
AfSA’s first international partnerships were sealed during the opening ceremony. These include a Memorandum of Understanding with the European Space Agency (ESA), which was signed by Marco Ferrazzani, Head of Internal Services. This agreement forms the basis for the implementation of the EU-Africa Space Partnership Programme. The programme aims to promote the use of space technologies by public and private actors and to strengthen cooperation between Europe and Africa in the space sector. A particular focus is on the expansion of early warning systems for climate-related emergencies.
In particular, earth observation programmes for climate monitoring and the management of natural resources are to be further developed in a targeted manner. The agreement also includes the expansion of joint training initiatives for African space experts and the provision of technical support for the institutional development of AfSA. Further cooperation agreements were signed with the Russian space organisation Roskosmos and the space agency of the United Arab Emirates (UAE Space Agency). Plans include technical exchange, cooperation in the development of small satellites as well as joint missions and educational initiatives. The opening of the African space agency took place one day before the start of the four-day NewSpace Africa Conference, which has been bringing together high-ranking representatives from African countries, international space organisations, research institutions and the private sector every year since 2022. The purpose of the conference is to discuss the potential of space travel for Africa’s economic and social development. Numerous bilateral declarations of intent were also signed as part of the conference, which was held this year under the motto ‘Empowering Africa’s Economy through Space-Driven Innovation’.
The establishment of the African Space Agency marks a significant step in the implementation of the African Space Strategy, which was adopted by the AU Commission in January 2016. The aim of this strategy is to coordinate a continental approach to space activities. Currently, only 61 of the approximately 13,300 satellites in orbit belong to 17 African countries. Furthermore, only 1 % of global investment in the space sector comes from the African continent. The AfSA is now to play a central role in closing these gaps and strategically promoting the utilisation of space technologies. It serves as a platform to bring together space agencies, investors and political decision-makers to jointly develop innovative solutions for Africa’s space sector. The focus is on areas such as earth observation, satellite communication, navigation and technical training. The African Space Agency is only the second regional space agency after the European Space Agency.
In other news
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. He had been head of the Catholic Church since 2013 and was the first pope from Latin America. The news of his death triggered mourning around the world, including the African continent. In numerous cities, like Goma, Cairo and Nairobi, the faithful came together to bid farewell in prayer and honour the life of the Pope. With over 272 million believers, around a fifth of the global Catholic community, Africa is becoming increasingly important for the Catholic Church. Pope Francis recognised this and visited ten African countries during his term of office, including Kenya, Uganda, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. During these visits, he repeatedly emphasised the importance of social justice, reconciliation and peace, particularly in conflict-ridden regions. The structural underrepresentation of African voices in the Vatican administration was also a recurring theme that Francis addressed several times – and to which he also actively devoted himself. For example, the proportion of cardinals from sub-Saharan Africa rose from 8 % to 12 % percent during his term of office. With the death of Francis, there is now speculation as to whether the next pope could come from Africa. Cardinals Peter Turkson (Ghana), Cardinal Robert Sarah (Guinea) and Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (Democratic Republic of Congo) are being considered as possible candidates.