The presidents of Mozambique and Kenya announced today that they want to prioritize value-added agricultural processing in the tea, sugar and coffee sectors.

William Ruto and Filipe Nyusi met on Thursday in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, on the sidelines of the African Food Summit.

The joint intention to invest in processing in some agricultural sectors was expressed today in a communiqué distributed by the Kenyan presidency, without further details.

William Ruto stressed the importance of regional blocs that facilitate the movement of people and goods and called on all countries to sign the tripartite agreement between the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market Organization for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

The ratification of the "tripartite alliance" will serve to unite the three regional blocs, said the statement, quoted by Lusa.

"This will enable an improved framework for trade and investment, without unnecessary complications," concluded Ruto.

The meeting between Nyusi and Ruto followed other initiatives to bring the two countries closer together, which signed a general cooperation agreement in 2021.

In the same year, Kenya inaugurated its high commission in Maputo, which became the country's first diplomatic representation in Mozambique.

Mozambique has had a diplomatic mission in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, since 1997.

About a year ago, in February 2022, the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA) announced its intention, together with Kenyan representatives, to organize a business forum to bring entrepreneurs from the two countries closer together.

Kenya was the 34th destination for Mozambican exports in 2020, with a value of 6.6 million euros, and the 50th source of imports, with a value of 6.9 million euros.