Dr. Tedros Adhanom met with a delegation from the Kenyan Manufacturers Association (KAM) on Wednesday (July 31) led by Phyllis Kandie, Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry for East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism.

Dr. Tedros noted that Ethiopia and Kenya had a strong bilateral and political relationship, adding that much more could be done in the areas of economy, trade and investment. He said Ethiopia and Kenya. Phyllis Kandie said the purpose of the delegation's visit was to discuss ways to speedily implement the Special Status Agreement signed last November. Members of the delegation noted the value of the Agreement for coordinating tourist packages between the tour operators in both countries; and stressed that KAM was committed to foster value adding in areas of manufacturing that would benefit cooperation. The CEO of KAM, Betty Maina, said that as Kenya was a leading investor in other African countries, implementation of the Special Status Agreement would offer an opportunity to increase the flow of Kenyan investment in Ethiopia.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom assured the delegation that Ethiopia considers the Special Status Agreement a vital instrument to help realize economic integration between Ethiopia and Kenya and in the region in general. Ethiopia, he said, will ratify the Agreement by September. He also noted the need for the two sides to work on the establishment of relevant committees for its implementation. In her closing remarks, Phyllis Kandie said there were opportunities for both countries to learn from each other's experiencesto improve performance. She said that Kenya wanted to learn from Ethikopia's Commodity Exchange and from its cultural tourism, adding that Ethiopia could benefit from Kenya's experiences in the hospitality industry. The Kenyan delegatin has also met with Prime Minister Hailemariam.