Saudi Arabia is set to use Kenya as a strategic entry point into Africa to expand its sphere of influence on the continent, according to the Kingdom’s Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman.
During a meeting with Kenya’s President William Ruto this week, he said Kenya was a cornerstone of stability and growth in Africa.
The two leaders met at the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Centre in Riyadh, at the Future Investment Initiative Institute (FII) conference. The FII is a non-profit organisation run by the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's main sovereign wealth fund.
Bin Salman said Kenya was a model country and Saudi Arabia was committed to pushing for more investments in Kenya, particularly in the renewable energy sector.
"We have to pay closer attention to it; it is a country with a future," he said after his meeting with Ruto.
He added that Saudi Arabia would use Kenya as a platform to broaden its forays into broader Africa as well.
Another common concern between the two leaders is that of security, with Kenya embroiled in a battle with the Islamic extremist group, Al Shabaab, which aims to unite ethnic Somali-inhabited areas of Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia into a single state under its version of Sharia law.
Saudi Arabia has committed to work with Kenya to establish regional stability.
"We need security in East Africa and the Red Sea. If Kenya is a success, then Africa is," Bin Salman said.
"We must come up with a lasting solution to the conflicts in Africa if we are to progress further. We have long-standing ties with Saudi Arabia, yet we have not explored them fully," Ruto said.
He urged Saudi Arabia to step forward to make Africa more peaceful and prosperous because of 'the shared vision' they have.
