Kenyan president William Ruto on Saturday announced plans to send about 250,000 workers to Germany in a deal that could see the European nation fill its huge labour needs.
Ruto was addressing the press after at the State House in Nairobi alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who visited the country.
According to the agreement, Berlin will absorb more professional, skilled and semi-skilled Kenyans, Nation newspaper reports.
For it to happen, President Ruto has urged his counterpart to review and ease immigration laws to enable Kenyans find employment in Germany.
The two leaders further agreed to partner technical and vocational institutions in their respective countries to facilitate the labour migration from Kenya to Germany upon graduation.
“We have agreed to establish a technical team from my office and the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Labour in both countries, to initiate discussions, expeditiously navigate the procedures and formulate an appropriate framework for the export of labour to Germany,” Dr. Ruto said according to Nation.
Germany will also support, expand and upgrade Technical and Vocational Training institutions and centres of excellence in the country from three to seven under a programme that will see more Kenyan youth benefit, and alleviate joblessness.
Ruto and Scholz further discussed a wide range of topics including trade, climate crisis and the wars in Eastern Europe and Sudan.