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John Feakes, Australia’s High Commissioner to Kenya. PHOTO | BD GRAPHIX
By ALLAN ODHIAMBO
In Summary
- Australia’s High Commissioner to Kenya speaks on Kenya-Australia relations and what lies ahead for the two countries.
Kenya and Australia are this year celebrating 50
years of bilateral relations. A number of Australian firms have either
invested or expressed interest in key sectors of the Kenyan economy,
including mining, education, healthcare and agribusiness.
In October 2012, the Australian International Food Security
Centre (AIFSC) opened an office in Nairobi to finance applied research
for faster agricultural technology adoption across 10 countries in
Eastern and Southern Africa.
The two countries have also strengthened ties on security, counter-terrorism and piracy, mining exploration and education.
The Business Daily’s Allan Odhiambo spoke
with John Feakes, Australia’s High Commissioner to Kenya, on the state
of Kenya-Australia relations and what lies ahead for the two countries.
What is your assessment of Kenya’s socio-economic environment so far?
I am very positive about Kenya’s progression
because all the factors requisite for development are gradually being
addressed. The country’s growth would have been quicker but the promise
remains strong.
Kenya’s human capital is particularly attractive,
especially given the drive its young entrepreneurs have. The
geographical placement also places the country in an advantageous
position for growth because it’s the gateway to the region.
The investment being made in infrastructure development is impressive and will pay dividend in future.
What is the cornerstone of Australia’s ties with Kenya?
The two nations are relatively young members of the
Commonwealth and share a lot in terms of progression lessons. The
melting point in our relations is the dynamism we both have to grow the
private sector.
We have a strong bond in the development of key
sectors, including education, mining, infrastructure and food security.
Numerous programmes and projects have been initiated to address these
key drivers of the economy.
We also have an active collaboration in counter-terrorism and piracy.
Could you expound on the education aspect because more Kenyan students are taking up courses in Australia, what is driving this?
Although the US and the UK remain the preferred
destinations for Kenyan students, Australia is getting its fair share of
attention because we have created an enabling environment for foreign
students to access quality education in our universities.
Our student visa arrangement is very attractive
because it allows graduates to stay on for some time and work, a favour
they would not enjoy in many other countries.
Today we have more than 1,500 Kenyan students studying in Australia and the number is expected to continue rising.
The cost of education and living in Australia is also more
favourable compared to many developed economies. Besides, the Australian
dollar has weakened relatively against the US dollar making it a
cheaper destination for students.
This, coupled with access to jobs upon graduation,
has helped grow Australia’s profile among students. Australia also
remains very safe and peaceful, which is key for studies.
An Australian company, Base Resources, has
made major progress in the Kenyan mining sector. Has this created
interest among other firms back home?
The impressive performance by Base Resources offers an opportunity for Kenya to deepen its mining ties with Australia.
The Australian mining industry is nearly 100 years
old and the lessons learned during this long journey offers Kenya
priceless opportunities to improve its own sector. We are keen to see
more Australian companies investing in the Kenyan mining sector.
The upcoming 2015 Africa Down Under conference in
Perth provides a fertile ground to explore investment opportunities in
Kenya and the rest of Africa. We have a strong exchange programme on
mining between the two nations.
A number of top Kenyan officials have been facilitated to make learning visits to Australia’s advanced mining industry.
Several Kenyan students are pursuing mining-related
courses in Australia and it is our hope that the knowledge transfer
will be beneficial to Kenya.
Do you see the recently approved Mining Bill 2014 spurring bigger interest in Kenya?
It is a potential game-changer because it creates
more certainty among investors. It establishes a definite set of rules
and regulations to guide long term planning and investment.
The old rules and regulations from the colonial
times left many gaps that didn’t augur well with investors, but this
will definitely change with the new law. Investors thrive on predictable
environs.
Kenya faces a lot threats from terrorism, piracy and drug trafficking. Is your country helping curb these?
In the past few years the Australian navy has
intercepted large drug hauls in the Indian Ocean with the aid of Kenyan
and Tanzania authorities.
Australia has also worked with a coalition of
international navies to fight piracy off the Somalia coastline and this
has stabilised the flow of cargo to the region.
We are hoping to build on these partnerships because the threats of terrorism are real and we cannot afford to relax.
We also have a military training partnership with Kenya. For
example, in November every year we run a military training programme
for about 30 to 40 students in Nairobi.
A number of Kenyan military officers regularly
train in Australia as part of a partnership that seeks to boost safety
and security.
What specific food security programmes does Australia target to implement in Kenya?
The Australian International Food Security Centre
(AIFSC) that opened an office in Nairobi in 2012 is currently
developing a solution to the Aflatoxin fungi that destroys maize in
Kenya every year.
We are also working to harness the benefits of the
highly nutritious Amaranth plant and contain the spread of Africa Swine
Fever disease that has affected pig production in Kenya.
Further, Australia is working on a programme in
Naivasha that targets to improve the production of Rose flowers. We are
also keen on having a chat with the Water and Irrigation ministry to
identify areas in which we can partner to improve water conservation and
management.
Australia is largely arid and semi-arid and Kenya
can benefit from the lessons and experiences we have had in water
management and conservation.
Trade between Kenya and Australia remains low, why is this so?
Trade between these two countries has mainly been affected by lack of information on opportunities.
Investors in the western part of Australia
overlooking Africa are fairly knowledgeable of opportunities in Kenya
and East Africa but those in the eastern side and big cities such as
Sidney have little information.
More partnerships, exchanges and marketing can help correct this situation because the opportunities on both sides are immense.
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