Poland is seeking to further deepen trade and bilateral relations with Kenya by leveraging on its high quality and cheaper information and communication technology.
Currently, Poland imports coffee and tea and, in return, exports wheat to the country with the balance of trade being in favour of the latter.
According to statistics, Polish exports to Kenya amounted to $26.54 million (Ksh 2.7 billion) while imports stood at $34.3 million (Ksh 3.4 billion) in the first seven months of this year. Comparatively, Polish exports stood at $47.55 million (Ksh 4.8 billion) in 2018 while Kenya exported commodities valued at $34.31 million (Ksh 3.4 billion).
Speaking during an economic forum with Kenyan manufacturers at a Nairobi hotel on Thursday, Poland Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Marcin Przydacz asked Kenya to tap the affordable and high-quality European technology the country offers in agriculture and ICT solutions.
“Poland is very good in information technology and we would also work closely with partners in the areas of agricultural machinery, medical machinery and medicine, and tourism which goes both ways for Kenya and Poland,” he said.
Marcin said they approach development cooperation through how the two counties can make a good partnership through their relationships.
Since 2017 when Poland said it would open a trade office in Nairobi to deepen trade and bilateral relations between the two countries, Polish companies have been looking for business and investment deals.
“The trade office will be more than a networking agent and will establish areas of opportunity for Polish firms but also Kenyan businesses,” he said.
The office is also Poland’s landmark as it works towards cementing its position in the East Africa region, as Kenya remains a strategic entry point for multi-nationals.
Located in the Upper Hill area, the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) is focused on generating mutually-benefiting business and investment projects in Kenya on which Polish entrepreneurs can partner with Kenyans to realise them.
Some of the companies from Poland operating in Kenya are mainly in the dairy sector. The country is one of the four dairy giants in Europe, selling nearly 70% of the region’s milk even as its farm sizes and dairy herd keep reducing.
While speaking at Ndumberi Dairy Cooperative Society in Kiambu during a tour of the facility, Przydacz , who is responsible for international development cooperation, said Poland is impressed by the positive steps Kenya has taken towards improving dairy farming.
He said that his government would do everything possible to help improve the lives of Kenyans through donation of the requisite entrepreneurial and economic growth inputs.
Poland’s ties with Kenya go back to independence in 1963 after the country opened an Embassy in Nairobi in 1964.
Kenya is, on her part, represented by Charge D’Affaires June Ruto in Warsaw, Poland.
