By PSCU
President Uhuru Kenyatta will lead Kenyans on a national tree planting exercise on May 12, State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu has said.
Speaking on Sunday during a press briefing, Mr Esipisu encouraged every Kenyan to participate in the exercise that is geared towards increasing the country’s forest cover.
“The president will lead this exercise, accompanied by Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, here in Nairobi at the Moi Forces Academy. We encourage every Kenyan, and those who live within our borders, to plant a tree or trees wherever they will be on that day,” the State House Spokesperson said.
On boosting continental trade, Mr Esipisu said the National Assembly last week ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and arrangements are underway to submit it to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“As you know, it was the president’s absolute delight to be in Kigali not too long ago, joining fellow heads of state in signing the AfCFTA. The AfCFTA will create a single continental market for goods and services, with free movement of people, goods and services,” Mr Esipisu said.
He expressed optimism that the continental trade pact will lead to the accelerated pathway to integration, saying Africa is better off increasing trade with itself.
Rwanda and Ghana have both also ratified, now the race is on which country is first to officially submit that ratification. At the moment, Mr Esipisu noted, intra-Africa trade is estimated to be around 12 percent which is relatively low compared to other regions of the world.
“Intra-European trade is estimated to be around 60 percent while that of Asia is around 40 percent. The establishment of the AfCFTA is expected to boost intra Africa trade to 22 percent by 2022. All this will provide substantial economic and social gains to Kenya,” he said.
The AfCFTA will lead to the creation of a wider and expanded African market, with a combined population of over 1.2 billion people and a growing middle class, as well as a combined gross domestic product of more than US$ 3.4 trillion.