Envoy wants ban on importation of Kenyan products to Nigeria lifted

The Kenyan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Amb. Tom Amolo, said on Friday volume of trade between his country and Nigeria had been hampered by the ban on the importation of Kenyan goods.

Amolo said that Kenya had not been able to export a range of products directly to Nigeria since they all fall in the latter’s “bad list”.

“When our President came, the trade numbers were below 15 million dollars. Nigeria has a list of Kenyan goods that cannot enter Nigeria.

“I have been able to put my case across to the Nigerian authorities to ask them to lift the ban so that we can increase the level of trade between the two countries.

“The investment regime is very good on both sides; investors on both sides have a clear path on what needs to be done. At least, on the policy side, these things are being fixed. What is now to be done is to deal with the legacies of removing these barriers to trade,” he said.

The envoy noted that Nigerian investors had expressed interest in setting up businesses in Kenya, adding that the lifting of the existing ban on the latter’s products would promote trade relations.

He said the agreements signed between both countries during the state visit of President Uhuru Kenyatta in May had contributed to the cordiality of their relations.

The envoy said that the Kenya-Nigeria Joint Trade and Investment Council was formed and mandated to grow trade between both countries by 50 per cent within four years.

He added that both countries had begun the process of enhancing relations in agriculture, education, tourism, security, dairy, tea production among others.

The envoy added that the launch of the Kenya-Nigeria agribusiness forum and the meeting of the joint business council would enhance the level of business relations both countries shared.

“Since then the Kenya-Nigeria business council met, issues were raised and addressed.

“These were issues that were plaguing the industry and because of the business council, they were able to be addressed.

“Looking forward, we anticipate a boom in our economic relations; we only hope that the challenge to the naira based on oil revenues will be managed in a way that continues promoting these relations.”

The high commissioner also reiterated the need for Nigeria to review its visa policy for Kenyan businessmen.

He said that the second meeting of the joint commission of cooperation which would hold in the second quarter of 2015 would follow up on agreements that had been signed.

“We have the five year visa for business; we were able to give the visa to Nigerians but we have not been able to get the visas for Kenyan businesspeople because of technical arrangements that need to be worked out.

“`It just requires for people to sit down and I see this done by the second quarter of 2015 because we have also programmed the second joint commission of cooperation discussions to take place in that second quarter of 2015, ” he said.

Amolo also said that the high commission would organise a Kenyan week in the second quarter of 2015 as part of efforts to showcase opportunities both countries could take advantage of.

(NAN)