American President Joe Biden going to designate Kenya as a major non-Nato ally during the three-day state visit of President of Kenya President William Ruto as per a source who is familiar with this planning, according to Reuters.
Kenya, which has traditionally maintained close ties with both China and Russia, would be the first nation in sub-Saharan Africa to obtain the designation, indicating Washington's desire to strengthen ties with the East African nation.
Biden informed reporters that he would be travelling to Africa in February after the US presidential election while welcoming Ruto to the White House for a meeting with business executives. On Thursday, the two presidents will have another meeting in the Oval Office. There will then be a joint news conference and a state dinner.
Senior administration officials stated that during their discussion, Biden and Ruto would talk about a variety of topics, including trade, debt relief, and the future of Sudan, Haiti, and other regions.
Biden announced on Wednesday that he and Ruto would begin a new phase of bilateral technological collaboration between their two nations, focusing on semiconductors, AI, and cyber security. He did not refer to the security classification.
Through the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the US will also announce fresh investments totalling $250 million, bringing the funding agency's portfolio in Kenya to over $1 billion, according to DFC.
According to a US official, both nations are dedicated to making sure technology is created and used in a way that promotes accountability, transparency, and human rights.
Like the US, Kenya has emerged as "an engine for innovation," the official stated, pointing to the country's $1 billion "Silicon Savannah" technological area, which is home to over 200 businesses in a variety of industries, such as e-commerce, sustainable energy, microelectronics, and financial technology.
Companies that participated included the American video game development business Gearbox Software, the Kenyan electric transport company BasiGo, the private equity firm Baylis Emerging Markets, the worldwide CEO consulting and advice firm Teneo, and Alphabet.
According to an administration official, Washington also intends to establish new semiconductor cooperation with Kenya and is collaborating with Congress to make Kenya the first nation in Africa to get financing under the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.
Kenya is getting ready to send troops to Haiti as part of a UN-led force deploying to solve the security issue in the Caribbean, and Biden has designated Kenya as an important non-NATO ally.
Close non-NATO allies with strategic working links to the US military are given this status by the US.
As of right now, the White House was silent.
In keeping with his past commitment to Qatar, Biden named the country as a key non-NATO partner of the United States in March.
At a time when South Africa was pursuing its own more autonomous foreign policy, Kenya has shown to be a stable and trustworthy partner for the US, according to Gyude Moore, head of the Africa Initiative at the Center for Global Development.
The decision would codify a transition that has seen Kenya "move more squarely into a US orbit" in recent years, including stronger collaboration with Somalia, according to Cameron Hudson, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
He said "It's very significant. No other sub-Saharan African country has it."
