Barbadian businesses are being urged to look for opportunities in Kenya from which they can increase revenue.
High Commissioner of Barbados to Kenya Ambassador Alex McDonald told a lunchtime meeting of the Rotary Club of Barbados that there were tremendous opportunities in the capital, Nairobi, and the wider African continent, from which Bridgetown could benefit greatly.
At the same time, he highlighted several steps being taken by Barbadian authorities to woo more visitors from Kenya and areas for cooperation, including in sport.
He pointed to the size of Kenya and other countries which share the continent, noting that Barbados and Barbadian businesses had the opportunity to cash in.
McDonald noted that the East African nation, which has an estimated 60 million inhabitants, has a gross domestic product (GDP) of just over US$300 billion annually.
“So immediately, although you can see the size and scale, you see that there is a vast difference in GDP per capita and, therefore, I can tell you that the Bajan dollar or the US dollar goes a long way in Kenya. That starts to hint at the opportunities that are there for Bajans in Kenya,” he said.
McDonald said that while there were some differences between the two countries, in terms of cultural practices, there was no difference in the quality of healthcare or education and, therefore, there should be no fear about going to Kenya to set up shop or finding people from Kenya with whom to work.
“Kenyans are very creative and everything they eat is locally grown and locally made. There is now an opportunity for new and various spices coming from our market. There is an opportunity for rum to come in. Kenya virtually produces no rum,” he said.
Recalling the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Barbados Manufacturers’ Association and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers for technical cooperation, McDonald said he believed this will “benefit us in a great way”.
He said he was helping to identify ways in which Barbados and Kenya can continue to deepen their bilateral cooperation.
Officials are working to bring athletes and coaches from Kenya to Barbados and introduce road tennis in Kenya.
“Kenyans love it and we are now trying to customise and call it Bajan road tennis,” he said.
“We are starting to introduce calypso and Bajan soca on some of the radio stations because we want tourists to come from Kenya to Barbados, and the music is one of those things. There are lots of other things we are doing; we are trying to establish an air link,” he added.
During the Rotary meeting, McDonald, who is this island’s permanent representative to the United Nations Office in Nairobi, also shed some light on the practices and customs in Kenya as well as its infrastructure development. (MM)
