Kenya will host the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Africa meeting in 2010, which is always held in South Africa, the government announced here on Saturday.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga who jetted into the country early Saturday from Cape Town where he attended the just concluded WEF meeting said the forum's organizers agreed to his invitation for the east African nation to host the key economic event.
"This is a major breakthrough that heralds Kenya's emergence as a leading player in the drive for the continent's global economic integration," Odinga said on arrival from South Africa where he led the Kenyan delegation. He said the 2009 meeting had already been confirmed for South Africa.
The announcement came as the Kenyan delegation concluded its high-visibility participation in the just concluded WEF meeting which was attended by more than 800 delegates from over 50 countries, including influential figures in politics, business, sport and civil society from around the African continent and the rest of the world.
Odinga has declared that Kenya was now ready to do business with other African countries and the international community.
He noted that the post election period with violence was now past after the successful formation of the grand coalition government.
The premier said following the political upheavals of January and February, Kenya was the main focus at the forum," but we announced to the whole world that the era was now over and we are more ready than ever, to do business with our African brothers and sisters as well as with the world at large".
The country was thrown into bloody turmoil after both Odinga and President Mwai Kibaki claimed victory in Dec. 27 elections, triggering ethnically charged violence that forced 350,000 people from their homes.
More than 1 billion U.S. dollars in losses have been linked to the violence, cutting this year's projected economic growth rate to 4 percent, down from 7 percent last year.
Odinga, who was accompanied to the forum by a large political and business delegation, said the delegates discussed amongst others how the private and public sectors in Africa could partner and complement one another to spur more economic growth, how Africa can access and penetrate foreign markets, how African economic regional blocs can bargain within themselves and with the international community and the surging food and fuel shortages.
The prime minister held a series of meetings with African heads of state who attended the meeting including President Thabo Mbeki, and those of Nigeria, Burundi and Ghana.
"They all lauded us for the peace deal which resulted in the grand coalition," he said.
Source:Xinhua
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