“Our relations with Kenya and Africa as a whole are closer than ever before – this week we are meeting our African honorary consuls here, helping companies to build contacts, and the Latitude59 event is taking place,” emphasised Estonia’s Ambassador to Kenya and South Africa, Daniel Schaer.
According to him, entrepreneurs’ interest in Africa is steadily growing, as the opportunities in the world’s fastest developing continent are immense. “Now that we are about to open our first embassy in Sub Saharan Africa, here in Kenya, we will be able to showcase Estonia’s innovative technologies more effectively, facilitate contacts and demonstrate the reliability of our companies. Kenya is a gateway to Africa for entrepreneurs,” Schaer said.
On 2–3 December, a seminar was held for Estonia’s honorary consuls in Africa, providing an overview of Estonia’s economy, consular issues, development cooperation and other topical matters. Estonia currently has 14 honorary consuls and 4 candidates in Africa, reflecting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ intention to further expand the network across the continent.
Estonia’s honorary consul in Kenya is Kadri Humal Ayal, who has worked consistently since 2008 to maintain and strengthen cooperation between Kenya and Estonia. “Kadri’s contribution to advancing Estonian Kenyan educational ties, creating contacts for Estonian companies and engaging the local Estonian community has been impressive,” Schaer said.
Kadri Humal Ayal noted that the common goal of the honorary consuls is to develop and deepen Estonia’s ties with Africa, particularly in the fields of business and economic cooperation. “The honorary consuls’ gathering helps us to exchange experiences and knowledge, and to coordinate our activities with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ESTDEV and Enterprise Estonia, so that together we can represent Estonia’s interests even more effectively,” Ayal explained.
She confirmed that Estonia’s decision to open an embassy in Nairobi is a significant milestone. “Communication with Kenya and, more broadly, with the East African region of 340 million inhabitants will become more concrete, visible and meaningful, enabling us to better safeguard Estonia’s interests. It will also help accelerate our joint projects in areas such as digital governance, green technology and education,” Ayal said.
From 3–5 December, the Latitude59 event is taking place in Nairobi, with participation from Bolt, for whom both Kenya and Africa as a whole are among the most important markets. “As a technology based company, we believe it is essential to take part in discussions shaping the future of mobility and digital services. Latitude59 provides a valuable platform for cooperation among founders, investors and policymakers,” said Weyinmi Aghadiuno, Bolt’s Head of Regulation and Policy in Africa.
He added that this year’s Latitude is particularly significant, as it coincides with Estonia’s growing presence in Africa, including the opening of Estonia’s embassy in Nairobi, and with ever deeper cooperation with honorary consuls across the region.
The Latitude59 Kenya event brings together Estonian start ups, investors and entrepreneurs implementing ESTDEV development cooperation projects in Africa.
