Tanaiste travels to Horn of Africa to discuss 'building peace and bolstering innovation' in region
Mr Martin will pay a four-day visit to Ethiopia and Kenya, where he will also meet the Irish communities in the area and speak with "political, humanitarian and development partners"
Tánaiste Micheál Martin will travel to Kenya and Ethiopia from today to meet "political, humanitarian and development partners" to assess how Ireland can contribute to "building peace and bolstering innovation and development" in the region.
Mr Martin will pay a four-day visit to the region, where he will also meet the Irish communities living in the Horn of Africa.
This morning, the Tánaiste will meet with Kenya’s President William Ruto in Nairobi.
He will then meet with students taking part in Young Scientist Kenya, a programme supported by Ireland to encourage STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, before officiating at the regional launch of Ireland’s Horn of Africa Child Wasting Programme, which covers Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.
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On Wednesday, Mr Martin will take part in several trade, development and Irish community events before travelling to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. While in Ethiopia he will meet with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and several development partners. He will also host a reception to mark 30 years of Ireland’s diplomatic presence in Ethiopia.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Martin said that it was a "significant" trip which aimed to "strengthen Ireland’s economic, political and development ties with two important African countries".
"I look forward to meeting with President Ruto and Prime Minister Ahmed to discuss a range of issues, including regional security and global crises, including conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan," he said.
"It is important that Ireland and Europe continue to strengthen our engagement and links across Africa. Ireland’s Africa Strategy highlights our commitment to building political, trade, cultural and people-to-people links across the continent. This visit is an important component of that ongoing work.
"Ireland has a proud legacy in the Horn of Africa and that continues through the work of the Irish Aid programme and our NGO partners operating in the region. While the impact of climate change and conflict is threatening the lives and livelihoods of many people in the region, there are also critical opportunities to build peace and bolster innovation and development.
"I look forward to meeting with political, humanitarian and development partners to discuss how Ireland can continue to contribute to this. I also look forward to meeting with members of the Irish community who continue to play an important role in both countries."
Ireland has provided over €415m over the last five years in bilateral funding to partners in the Horn of Africa who provide humanitarian and long-term development assistance to vulnerable populations and support for conflict resolution and actions to counter the impact of climate change.
At the height of the Horn food and drought crisis in 2022, Ireland’s bilateral investment in the region reached €102m.
Last year Ireland spent over €85 million in the Horn.
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