Cooperation in the defence and aerospace sectors, but also in energy, agriculture and infrastructure, were at the centre of the first day of the visit of the President of Kenya, William Rutho, in Italy. The Kenyan head of state was received this morning at the Quirinale by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, subsequently at Palazzo Chigi by the President of the Council, Giorgia Meloni, and then finally participate in the Italy-Kenya Business Forum, organized at the Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Rome, in the presence of the Kenyan Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and of the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Antonio TajaniRecalling his 2023 state visit to Kenya, Mattarella praised “the growing development of our relations and our strong friendship,” calling Kenya “an example of democracy, growth, and socio-economic well-being,” and a country with which Italy shares a vocation for peace, which both “cultivate with great conviction.” Ruto, for his part, declared that he came to Rome “to consolidate the strategic relationship that exists between Kenya and Italy and to explore new opportunities for collaboration.”<\/p>\n
At the end of her meeting with Prime Minister Meloni, the latter described defense cooperation between Italy and Kenya as “strategic” and announced the signing of a collaboration agreement on the matter. “Italy and Kenya have long worked together in the space sector, in which Nairobi plays a leading role in Africa. It is our intention to strengthen the Luigi Broglio Space Center in Malindi to make it a continental hub of information and excellence,” added the Prime Minister, who then thanked President Ruto “for his commitment to supporting projects for the stabilization, peace, and growth of neighboring and friendly nations.” Kenya, the Prime Minister noted, is one of the key countries in the Mattei Plan, and Italy has worked immediately to initiate significant interventions in the fields of energy, agriculture, education, and strengthening climate resilience. Meloni then stated that Kenya is a key partner in developing and implementing artificial intelligence in sectors that are crucial to the development of the African continent, such as agribusiness, education, and energy.<\/p>\n
Italy and Kenya: Meloni and Ruto adopt the 2026-2029 Action Plan: here are the details.<\/a><\/p>\n Italy, the Prime Minister continued, will continue working to strengthen Kenya’s infrastructure assets, “because we are aware of how crucial the connections and interconnections between Kenya and the innermost regions of East Africa are to the development of the entire continent.” “Thanks to the synergy between the Mattei Plan and the European Union’s Global Gateway, we are moving forward to extend the Blue Raman Cable to East Africa, the digital maritime backbone that aims to connect India to European economies via the Middle East and the Mediterranean,” Meloni added. She then announced the adoption of a three-year action plan between Italy and Kenya to “systematize all aspects of cooperation.”<\/p>\n In the afternoon, President Ruto attended the Italy-Kenya Business Forum, attended by over 200 Italian entrepreneurs, with the aim of exploring new forms of collaboration, particularly in the agribusiness and leather sectors, and in the strategic infrastructure and energy sectors. According to Minister Tajani, who spoke at the closing session, an industrial country like Italy needs Kenya, as it is rich in raw materials. Therefore, we are closely monitoring the extraordinary potential of the Kenyan market, as “brotherly friends,” and as a win-win for both. “Today’s Business Forum culminates a day that marks a pivotal moment in relations between Kenya and Italy, two friendly countries that wish to continue working together. Today’s meetings were very positive, concluding with a series of important agreements. For this government, Africa is a crucial continent, which has always shown great attention and interest in Italy and Europe, and we cannot ignore this request for our friendship,” Tajani said, stating that “it would be a grave mistake not to consider Africa a key partner.” “We strongly believe in growth diplomacy. Italy is Europe’s second industrial power, the country with the greatest diversity of production after China: we want to rely on the quality of our know-how, our ability to produce high-quality products, and we look with great interest to the Kenyan market, which has extraordinary potential,” Tajani continued, expressing his hope for the implementation of joint economic and industrial growth projects. “We must work hand in hand,” the minister concluded, emphasizing how tourism also facilitates these relations.<\/p>\n Italy and Kenya, President Ruto emphasized at the conclusion of the Business Forum, are ready to begin a collaboration based on mutual trust, as if they were a single team. “The growth of Kenyan exports to Italy is constant and significant, and today there are approximately 50 Italian companies operating permanently in Kenya, contributing to the development of both countries. Our shared commitment is clear: to continue to grow the synergy between Italian and Kenyan companies,” Ruto stated, emphasizing the need to strengthen public-private partnerships. “We must open these opportunities not only to our two countries, but to the entire European and African markets. In this context, we have already launched three major energy sector programs, with the ambitious goal of generating 10 megawatts (MW) from renewable sources, particularly geothermal, solar, and wind. We are ready to invest with you in this strategic area, bringing Italian technology, expertise, and capital to accelerate Kenya’s energy transition and create shared value for businesses on both continents,” he added.<\/p>\n Tajani and his counterpart Mudavadi signed three agreements on the sidelines of the Italy-Kenya Business Forum. The first aims to strengthen judicial cooperation in criminal matters, particularly regarding the transfer of convicted persons in the absence of an applicable international instrument between Italy and Kenya. Kenya has not acceded to the Council of Europe Convention of 21 March 1983, which is the most widely applicable legal instrument for the enforcement of final sentences in the respective countries of origin. The second provides for a \u20ac4 million grant, approved by the Joint Committee of Italian Development Cooperation on August 1, 2024, with the aim of increasing the climate resilience of populations living in arid and semi-arid areas in Kenya. The third initiative, worth \u20ac4 million, was approved on December 16, 2024, by the Joint Development Cooperation Committee. Its goal is to improve services for victims of gender-based violence, provide psychological support, and promote women’s economic independence in the targeted counties of Kisumu, Mombasa, Kilifi, Busia, and Nyeri.<\/p>\n In addition to the three agreements, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Equity Bank, Kenya’s second-largest commercial bank, to promote commercial initiatives between Italian and Kenyan companies. The aim is to expand trade relations between the two countries in sectors of mutual interest, including the tanning industry. CDP also signed a \u20ac30 million loan agreement with Equity Bank, aimed at expanding the bank’s credit portfolio for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. The initiative is part of the Terra program, promoted by CDP, the European Union, and with the technical support of the FAO, to accelerate the transition to sustainable agri-food systems by strengthening access to credit and protecting biodiversity. Finally, SACE, SIMEST, and Assomac have announced their intention to sign an agreement on this occasion to provide financial support to the Italian leather supply chain in Kenya.<\/p>\n Kenya is of strategic importance for Italy in the implementation of the Mattei Plan, for which it is a priority country. Rome maintains excellent bilateral relations with Nairobi, a player committed to promoting multilateralism and regional stability in the strategic region of East Africa. Kenya represents one of Italy’s most attractive markets in sub-Saharan Africa, thanks to its geographic location and the presence of special economic zones. In 2025, bilateral trade reached \u20ac280 million, a 34,1% increase compared to 2024; among European countries, Italy ranks behind Germany, the United Kingdom, and France. Economic relations between the two countries offer significant opportunities, particularly in the agribusiness and leather sectors, and in the strategic infrastructure and energy sectors. In 2024, the stock of Italian net foreign direct investment (FDI) in Kenya amounted to \u20ac54 million, while the stock of Kenyan net FDI in Italy was \u20ac19 million. As of 2023, 29 Italian companies were registered in Kenya, with a total of 302 employees and a total turnover of \u20ac18,6 million, operating primarily in the transport and logistics, construction, and other business services sectors.<\/p>\n Regarding the country’s economic system, the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) has planned promotional activities in Kenya worth over \u20ac1,1 million for 2026. Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) is also currently implementing several initiatives in Kenya and the surrounding region, including initiatives to support the coffee supply chain (approximately $80 million). The new economic program promoted by President Ruto, inspired by the so-called “Singapore model,” is based on a broad infrastructure development plan aimed at supporting industrialization, meeting growing demand from domestic businesses, and attracting foreign investment. The plan calls for the construction of fifty dams, over 20 kilometers of road infrastructure, new railway lines, and power plants and power stations with a total capacity of up to 10 megawatts (MW), in addition to strengthening investments in human capital and innovation. Within this framework, concrete opportunities emerge for strengthening collaboration with Italy in these sectors, as well as in networks, connectivity, and smart infrastructure, where Kenya has expressed interest in benefiting from Italy’s experience.<\/p>\n Infrastructure modernization offers significant opportunities for Italian companies, primarily as part of the revitalization and renovation project for Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). This project aims to transform Kenya into an airport hub for the region and, ultimately, for the entire African continent and the Middle East, expanding its current annual capacity of 7,5 million passengers to 27 million by 2045. Also in the airport sector, the Malindi airport expansion project is considered significant, a crucial project for consolidating Italian economic interests in that stretch of coast, particularly in the tourism sector.<\/p>\n Kenya has been identified as a pilot country for the Mattei Plan, which has promoted, among other things, collaborative activities and projects focused on ecological transition and sustainable agriculture. Particularly significant in this context is the work undertaken by Eni, which operates in Kenya’s agro-industrial sector, playing a central role in the development of advanced biofuels through the agri-hub project, which allows the country to become part of the global sustainable fuels supply chain. Also noteworthy within the Mattei Plan are the activities of the Enel Group, which is not present at the industrial production level but is implementing important training projects together with the Res4Africa Foundation. The Maire Group has also submitted a feasibility study proposal to Bleriot Group for a biofeed pre-treatment unit for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which has already been accepted by the client and is currently being finalized. Kenyan interest has also emerged on several occasions in exploring collaborations with Italy in the nuclear energy sector, which Kenya intends to add to the country’s energy mix. Alongside the large power generation plant project, construction of which\u2014according to Nairobi authorities\u2014could begin by March 2027, planning is underway for a nuclear reactor for research and nuclear medicine, planned for the “smart city” of Konza.<\/p>\n Ruto’s visit to Italy, as sources familiar with the matter confirmed to the Kenyan newspaper “The Star,” is aimed at unblocking major infrastructure and investment agreements, with a focus on irrigation and national development projects. The projects are part of three national priority pillars: irrigation, infrastructure expansion, and accelerating energy production, with the aim of supporting Kenya’s economic transformation. Nairobi is particularly concerned about securing the future of the Arror, Kimwarer, and Itare dams, whose Italian-funded construction was stalled in 2019 after the Kenyan government of then-President Uhuru Kenyatta exposed alleged corruption in the contract awarded to the Ravenna-based construction company CMC. The Itare dam remained 27 percent unfinished at the time, while work on the Arror and Kimwarer dams has not progressed significantly.<\/p>\n Thanks to President Sergio Mattarella’s visit to Nairobi in March 2023, the Kenyan government reached an agreement with CMC, after the latter withdrew an arbitration appeal in The Hague. However, while construction of Itare and Arror is expected to resume, work on the Kimwarer site remains stalled due to unresolved technical issues. The Ruto administration has identified the resumption of work on the dams as a priority in its national development program. The government plans to expand irrigation to 2,5 million acres of land within seven years, a measure that should strengthen food security and position Kenya as an agricultural exporter. In his State of the Nation address to parliament last November, Ruto explained the government’s goal of building 50 large dams, 200 small and medium-sized dams, and thousands of micro-dams across the country.<\/p>\n Read also other news on Nova News<\/a><\/p>\n Click here and receive updates on WhatsApp<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us on the social channels of Nova News on Twitter<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a>, Instagram, <\/a>Telegram<\/a><\/p>\n