As part of her participation in the annual meeting of the steering committee of the regional project “Global Forest Transformation for Populations and Climate: A Focus on West Africa,” held on May 7, 2024, in Banjul, The Gambia, and funded by Swedish Cooperation and implemented with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Madame Massandjé TOURE-LITSE, Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture of ECOWAS, took part in a field visit to the Mansakonko region on May 9, 2024.

During this tour, the project steering committee members visited community initiatives, which are results of the national pilot project “Basic Adaptation Interventions to the Effects of Climate Change (GRACE)” implemented by the NGO Freedom From Hunger Campaign in the Lower River region, supported by the project.

Starting with courtesy greetings to the Governor of Lower River Region, this field visit allowed observing the results of community mangrove restoration in the villages of Sandeng and Jataba, as well as honey production as a means of improving the livelihoods of the populations. Participants also visited assisted natural regeneration in the community forest area and energy-saving devices through improved cookstoves in Batelling village.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The government is implementing new laws and policies that will facilitate growth in IT-enabled services in the country, President William Ruto has said.

The objective, the President announced, is for these measures to help the government unlock opportunities in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services sector.

Consequently, the government is enhancing the country’s competitiveness and aligning it with global standards to accelerate the growth of the BPO market and other IT-enabled services.

The goal, he noted, is to scale up government investments in the relevant infrastructure, including the national broadband and digital hubs, to create jobs for at least one million digital workers in the next five years.

“We are determined to claim our fair share of the BPO pie for the benefit of our young men and women who are eager to contribute to growing our economy,” he said.

He noted that Kenya’s strength is in a large, skilled youthful workforce, government policies which give priority to the digital economy as a strategic pillar of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, an education system that stresses digital skills, a strategic geographical location aligning with global time zones and proficiency in English, a language widely used in major economies.

President Ruto made the remarks during the launch of Call Centre International (CCI) Global Contact Centre at Tatu City in Ruiru, Kiambu County, which has already created more than 5,000 jobs.

Present were Cabinet Secretaries Rebecca Miano and Eliud Owalo, Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi and United States Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman, among others.

The President said the government is strengthening existing laws to create a conducive environment for the ICT-BPO industry to thrive.

“Our goal is to develop sector-specific legislation that aligns with international standards in the short, medium and long term,” he said.

Government efforts in strengthening the sector, President Ruto explained, include enforcing BPO standards that meet international best practices, updating fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to keep pace with technological advancements and investing in green energy.

He said the government is also working with the private sector in enhanced skills training for Kenyan youth to ensure that they are prepared for the jobs of tomorrow.

“These efforts demonstrate our commitment to fostering a thriving, sustainable and globally competitive BPO sector in Kenya,” he said.

The President appealed to investors to collaborate with the government in its digital hubs programme for BPO operations to succeed and expand.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of President of the Republic of Kenya.

President William Ruto on Friday led a nationwide tree-planting campaign in Kiambicho Forest in Maragùa, Mùrang’a County.

The President said the day was set aside by the Cabinet in honour of those who lost their lives as a result of the floods that have ravaged various parts of the country.

Planting and growing trees, he pointed out, is also the solution that will mitigate the effects of climate change, which include devastating droughts and destructive floods.

The government, he explained, set a target for Kenyans to plant 200 million trees across the country.

Speaking at Karua grounds in Maragua after planting trees, the President announced that the exercise will continue for the next six months beginning on Monday, adding that Cabinet Secretaries would be at the forefront.

Every ministry, he said, will have a day in which staff of various departments and agencies will plant trees in the specific areas they have been assigned.

“Planting of trees will continue each day beginning next Monday with each ministry participating and so that we have a collective effort in conserving and restoring the environment,” President Ruto said.

On Monday, he announced, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi will lead the tree-planting exercise. This will be followed by all the other ministries until the government achieves the target of 15 billion trees by 2032.

The Head of State regretted that the country has been hit by droughts in the recent past and now floods have wreaked havoc across the country.

He said the government was keen in increasing the country’s forest cover from 12 per cent to 30 per cent.

“Climate change is a reality we live with every day. This is why we stopped all other business today to plant trees,” the President said. “We must look for a solution to climate change, and the solution is planting and growing trees.”

He emphasised the need for every Kenyan to plant at least 50 trees, especially fruit species.

Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya said her ministry will buy seedlings from the residents.

Governor Irungu Kang’ata said his administration will buy mango seedlings from local farmers in an effort to increase horticultural production in the area.

Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro commended the initiatives the government is implementing to revive the economy, saying they were yielding fruits.

At the Kiambicho Forest Station, President Ruto, First Lady Rachel Ruto, leaders and residents planted 20,000 trees in a 16-hectare piece of land.

Other leaders present were MPs Chege Njuguna (Kandara), Betty Njeri (Murang’a Women Rep), Mary Wamaua (Maragua), Veronica Maina (nominated), Joseph Munyoro (Kigumo) and Senator Joe Nyutu (Murang’a), among others.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of President of the Republic of Kenya.

A law enacted more than a decade ago to govern civil society organisations has now been operationalised, President William Ruto has announced.

The execution of the legal instrument to make the Public Benefits Organisations Act operational, the President said, demonstrates the government’s commitment to forging a strong partnership with civil society.

He explained that this is aimed at advancing the country’s pursuit of sustainable and inclusive development.

“Civil society has a role to play in the development of our country. We may not necessarily always agree, but that is the beauty of having diverse opinions,” he added.

President Ruto pointed out that the Act has consolidated all legislations governing civil society organisations into one predictable legal regime.

“We have made it possible for Public Benefit Organisations from outside Kenya not to be taken through unnecessary vigorous processes before they begin their operations in Kenya,” he said.

The President was speaking at the closing session of the United Nations Civil Society Conference at the United Nations Office in Nairobi.

He said strengthening civil society is part of the government’s effort to build an all-of-society coalition that brings together government, the opposition, NGOs religious institutions and other groups.

He said this was the surest way of addressing exclusion and marginalisation that promote poverty and inequality.

President Ruto explained that the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda identifies development as an inclusive and collective endeavour.

“It is not a special and exclusive project of the Executive or the public sector defined by narrow objectives or interests,” he said.

Saying that civil society plays a critical role in shaping policies, driving change and keeping governments in check, the President called for the empowerment of the youth to enable them to make their contribution to the nation’s development.

“It is our responsibility to meaningfully involve them in shaping the future by consistently taking deliberate steps to dismantle barriers hindering their participation in political and public life,” he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said civil society has played a critical role in enhancing democracy and governance and acted as a bridge between people and their representatives.

He called on the civil society to play an even greater role in international politics and the governance of international institutions.

“This is the key to rebuilding trust, restoring legitimacy and ensuring international decisions are shaped by the concerns, values and the experiences of the people across the globe,” he said.

The conference that started on Wednesday ended today.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of President of the Republic of Kenya.