Economic Diplomacy

On a warm May afternoon in 2007, during a critical dialogue between the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the late Hon. David Nalo, then Permanent Secretary for Trade, made a thought-provoking remark: “Our embassies should be more than ceremonial. They must drive our economic agenda abroad.” This sentiment resonated deeply and became a pivotal theme in a speech I had the privilege of drafting for Dr. Manu Chandaria, a world-renowned industrialist and philanthropist, as he addressed Kenyan Ambassadors and High Commissioners on their roles in supporting the private sector. Seventeen years later, the…