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Portugal eyes closer trade, investment ties with Kenya.
Friday February 17 2023
The ongoing construction of the Mtwapa- Kilifi Road at Vipingo area in Kilifi County in this photo taken on 6th December 2022. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NMG
In just a few days, the first European Union (EU)-Kenya Business Forum will take place in Nairobi, paving the way to increase European trade and investment in Kenya, and aimed at boosting and tightening ties between Kenyan and European companies and their governments.
The EU is Kenya’s largest trading partner and one of the most important sources of foreign investment, which has created hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Portugal, as an EU member state, is committed to intensifying economic cooperation with Kenya, namely in the area of construction and infrastructure, through one of the leading names in the engineering business both in Portugal and abroad — the Portuguese company Mota-Engil.
Founded in 1946, the Mota-Engil Group is a multinational company with operations focused on construction and infrastructure management, but also on environment and services, transport concessions, mining and energy.
The group employs more than 41,000 people and is present in 24 countries, in which it operates with a management model that is ethically, socially and environmentally sustainable.
A responsible attitude of sustainable growth is always present, respecting the well-being of future generations and implementing eco-efficient solutions while contributing to the development of the community that surrounds us.
This approach is common ground to European businesses and is the cornerstone of the EU’s Global Gateway principles, which Portugal strongly adheres to.
In Kenya, the firm set its objectives through public-private partnership projects with an off-balance sheet investment for the government of more than $130 million with Kenya Urban Roads Authority, increasing regional mobility and bypassing the main urban centres.
The investment in these projects has a direct impact on the local economy and its communities, with more than 80 percent local content with the Kenyan supply chain.
In social terms, involvement with the communities during the life of the project includes for example the rehabilitation of adapted toilets and the construction of new ones in schools for people with reduced mobility, as well as food donations.
The direct and indirect jobs generated in Kenya are more than 1,000 at the moment.
Such vision, aligned with environmental best practices and business conduct founded on ethical principles and quality infrastructure delivery, is a good example of how this international, innovative and competitive group can be the partner that Kenya needs, bringing the solutions that Kenya aspires to.
