The AHK Eastern Africa - Delegation of German Industry and Commerce for Eastern Africa hosted a roundtable that brought together German representation offices in Kenya, German institutions, and a delegation from German Federal Ministries. The meeting was opened by Dr. Joachim Stamp, Head of Delegation for Migration Agreements, and moderated by Dr. Monika Erath, Delegate of German Industry and Commerce in Eastern Africa. German companies actively contributed by sharing their experiences and challenges in recruiting Kenyan skilled workers for employment opportunities in Germany.
The discussions emphasized the multifaceted nature of labour mobility. Key highlights included the steps taken by the German Embassy to streamline and accelerate visa processing, the establishment of a Mobility Centre by AHK Eastern Africa - Delegation of German Industry and Commerce for Eastern Africa to address labour mobility concerns for both Kenyan and German stakeholders, and the expanded capacity for German language training at the Goethe-Institut Nairobi.
Participants also raised critical challenges such as the shortage of qualified German language teachers and bureaucratic hurdles in visa acquisition, while exploring opportunities for partnerships in training and in facilitating the ethical mobility of Kenya’s skilled workforce to Germany.
The roundtable provided an important platform for strengthening communication channels among stakeholders, reinforcing the shared commitment to advancing labour mobility between Germany and Kenya.
In this context, the African Skills for Germany (AS4G) Project was launched in Kenya on 𝟒 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒, shortly after the signing of the Kenyan-German Bilateral Labour Agreement. Supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), the project seeks to support Germany in addressing its skilled labour shortage. At its core, AS4G serves as a central hub for labour mobility initiatives, working closely with relevant stakeholders to identify employment opportunities, facilitate ethical recruitment, and 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚.
