Mombasa Deputy Governor Dr William Kingi received a delegation from the Swedish Embassy led by Amb. Anna Jardfelt who paid a courtesy call on Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho's office.
In a meeting that was attended by County Executive Members and other County Officials, the team engaged on a wide range of issues pertaining the state of the county on how they can partner with Sweden for the betterment of Mombasa people.
The Swedish government acknowledged the role of Mombasa county in facilitating peace and stability in the Coast region, with Kingi saying the greatest concern has always been how to deal with the threat of radicalization and extremism.
"Though radicalization and extremism has been a challenge in the past, we have been able to come up with mitigating mechanisms to fully deal with the threat. We have since developed an elaborate CVE action plan that upon implementation shall give us a sustainable solutions," said Kingi.
Through the Department of Youth, Sports and Gender, the DG said they had also come up with projects aimed at empowering the youth and women who are most vulnerable to extremism and radicalization.
Through the county revolving fund, Mombasa County government hopes to induct into the youth a culture of entrepreneurship through entrepreneurship training and availing to them funds to start up business as a source of sustainable livelihood.
Kingi disclosed that the county government is currently supporting several students in Technical Training Colleges through scholarships that support upto 70% of their school fees, with a complementary bursary that has been supporting many students across colleges in the county.
"We intend to promote education as a basic need to our children and equip our youths with technical skills that can be used as a source of livelihood. With safety and peace guaranteed in Mombasa tourists shall surely enjoy the serenity of our beloved city and we hope that you Swedish partners shall also be our ambassadors in promoting Mombasa as the best tourist destination."
With the inception of the JKP which has been integral in harnessing cooperation between the six coastal counties, the DG said they also expect to receive more Swedish investors coming in to exploit the wider market created by the regional economic bloc.