Uhuru Kenyatta meets Angola president Dos Santos for trade talks

LUANDA

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Angola counterpart José Eduardo dos Santos held talks on trade and bilateral cooperation in Luanda on Tuesday.

The talks were held on the sidelines of the sixth International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). Angola is chairing the conference.

The two leaders held talks on easing barriers to trade and business between Kenya and Angola.

They considered easing the visa regime to ensure that Kenyans have access to Angola’s markets.

Under Kenya’s progressive visa regime, Angolans can already get visas on arrival at any port of entry.

President Dos Santos said Angola would consider allowing Kenya Airways to increase direct flights from the current three a week.

He said his country would also consider allowing KQ to launch cargo flights.

The Angolan leader said this would be possible when a new airport, currently under construction, is completed.

Kenya also sought a review of the rules governing Angola’s investor licenses and work permits.

President Dos Santos said he would honour President Kenyatta’s invitation to visit Kenya in the second half of the year.

The Luanda meeting comes in the wake of a joint economic framework signed in 2014, which established the ground rules for cooperation in business and trade between the two countries.

Angola is Africa’s largest oil producer and one of the continent’s fastest-growing economies.

President Dos Santos said Angola is willing to exchange knowledge and experience in the oil sector to help grow Kenya’s oil business.

President Kenyatta said Kenya is ready to assist Angola to improve its capacity and skills in services, including banking, hospitality and tourism.

The Kenyan leader said his country is also prepared to help Angola grow its agriculture sector.