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US, Kenya reveal slew of financial investments and intend on debt relief

U.S. President Joe Biden and Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday announced investments in green energy, education and health manufacturing in the East African country and a strategy to minimize its financial obligation burden.

Ruto got here in Washington on Wednesday as part of a. three-day state go to that consists of bilateral talks with Biden. on Thursday, followed by a state supper in the evening. Ruto's. journey is the sixth state go to hosted by the Biden administration. and the first for an African president because 2008.

Here are the crucial announcements:

DIPLOMACY

Biden will designate Kenya as a major non-NATO ally, making. it the very first sub-Saharan African country to get the. designation, a senior U.S. administration official stated. Currently, 18 nations are designated as non-NATO allies,. including Israel, Brazil and the Philippines.

The alliance - which is not a shared defense pact - will. bring some additional U.S. help, including a new $7 million. partnership to assist improve Kenya's National Cops Service,. with a concentrate on staff and training development.

DEBT AND FINANCE

The 2 countries introduced the Nairobi-Washington Vision, a. call to the international community to assist debt-laden countries. like Kenya manage debt while buying economic growth. It. calls on international banks to supply. collaborated bundles of assistance and on lender countries to. supply types of debt relief.

The U.S. will quickly make available financing of up to $21. billion to the International Monetary Fund's Hardship Decrease. and Development Trust to support the poorest countries.

TRADE AND FINANCIAL INVESTMENT

Microsoft is partnering with United Arab. Emirates-based artificial intelligence firm G42 to invest $1. billion in an information center in Kenya as part of its efforts to. broaden cloud computing services in East Africa. The information center,. which will be constructed by G42 and its partners, will be powered by. geothermal energy and provide access to Microsoft's Azure cloud. computing platform through a new cloud area for East Africa.

The U.S. International Development Financing Corporation. announced it prepares to open an office in Kenya's capital Nairobi,. playing a key role in driving its efforts across essential sectors in. Kenya such as agriculture, health, e-mobility and energy.

The U.S. Agency for International Advancement will provide. $ 15 million for brand-new activities designed to minimize hardship and. poor nutrition and address global food security by expanding. investment opportunities.

CLIMATE

The 2 nations released the U.S.-Kenya Environment and Tidy. Energy Industrial Collaboration. The U.S. and Kenya plan to work. with international banks and multilateral trust. funds to identify mechanisms for mobilizing investment for tidy. energy production and services.

Virunga Power, a U.S. company and partner in the Power. Africa effort to double access to electrical energy in sub-Saharan. Africa, revealed a pipeline of six hydropower projects in. innovative phases of development in Kenya. With an overall anticipated. investment of $100 million, those projects will be integrated in. sequence over the next 5 years and are anticipated to offer 31. megawatts of tidy, renewable resource.

A $60 million grant from the Centuries Difficulty. Corporation will money a four-year program concentrating on the. transportation needs of underserved groups in Kenya, safer. alternatives for women and pedestrians, and climate-friendly public. transportation.

HEALTH

Kenya and the United States revealed that the U.S. Centers. for Disease Control and Avoidance and Kenya's government will. share information, determining finest practices and defining steps. toward the advancement and full launch of the Kenyan National. Public Health Institute.

The International Advancement Finance Corporation is making. a $10 million direct loan to Kenyan business Hewa Tele, which. materials medical oxygen to healthcare facilities in Africa, and. equity investments in Kasha Global, a Kenya-based e-commerce. business that provides personal care, health care, and beauty. products to low-income females in Kenya and Rwanda.

EDUCATION

The administration plans to provide $3.3 million for a. U.S. Department of State program for 60 Kenyan undergrad. trainees to study for a semester in the United States, with a. focus on science, innovation, engineering and mathematics.

The administration also plans to provide $500,000 to support. Kenyan students, scientists, scientists, and engineers by. encouraging U.S. universities to increase investment in. relationships with Kenyan universities and research. institutions.

(source: Reuters)