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LAST UPDATE | 16 Jul 2024
TÁNAISTE AND MINISTER for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin is in the Horn of Africa today for a four day visit to Kenya and Ethiopia.
This afternoon, he announced the launch of a €15m three year initiative aimed at combatting child hunger in the cross-border Mandera Triangle region of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
The Initiative is being led by Concern Worldwide in cooperation with a consortium of NGOs in the region as well as local and national authorities.
Earlier today, the Tánaiste met with Kenya’s President William Ruto in Nairobi.
In recent weeks, Ruto has been responding to growing cost-of-living protests against an unpopular and controversial tax bill. In response to the protests, in which at least 39 people were killed, Ruto axed the bill.
Speaking to reporters this morning ahead of the meeting, when asked by The Journal if he planned to raise human rights concerns with the president, the Tánaiste said he would be.
He said they would be discussing the domestic issue in Kenya and that he would be “stressing the importance of dialogue and partnership.”
“I’m not going to get involved in the internal situation. But more broadly, I think we, from our own experiences and from the experiences of others, we will discuss these issues,” he said.
The Tánaiste also said he was looking forward to discussing climate change issues with Ruto.
Micheál Martin on discussions during his meeting with Kenya’s President Ruto earlier today.
— Jane Matthews (@janeematthews) July 16, 2024
Earlier, the Tánaiste said he would be raising human rights concerns with the President in the face of ongoing protests. He said Ruto was receptive to the comments.@thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/GHd1U3HkwX
Speaking after the meeting, the Tánaiste said: “Ireland is proud of its long history of partnership with Kenya on a wide range of areas from education to climate action, in agriculture innovation and in sustainable development.
“Ireland deeply values Kenya’s leadership on critical issues of peace and security, including its championing of multilateral efforts to resolve ongoing conflicts and crises in the region.”
More broadly, the Tánaiste’s trip to the Horn of Africa will focus on the impact of Ireland’s development assistance programme and growing trade links with Kenya and Ethiopia.
While in Kenya, the Tánaiste will also meet with students taking part in Young Scientist Kenya, a programme supported by Ireland to encourage STEM education.
Following this he will officiate at the regional launch of Ireland’s Horn of Africa Child Wasting Programme, which covers Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.
On Wednesday the Tánaiste will take part in a number of trade, development and Irish community events before travelling to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
While there he will meet with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and a number of development partners.
He will also host a reception to mark 30 years of Ireland’s diplomatic presence in Ethiopia.
Speaking ahead of the visit, the Tánaiste said he looks forward to meeting both President Ruto and Prime Minister Ahmed and to discussing a range of issues including regional security and global crises, including conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan.
“This is a significant visit to strengthen Ireland’s economic, political and development ties with two important African countries. It is important that Ireland and Europe continue to strengthen our engagement and links across Africa,” he said.
The Tánaiste added that Ireland’s Africa Strategy highlights our commitment to building political, trade, cultural and people-to-people links across the continent and that 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 also to meeting with members of the Irish community who continue to play an important role in both countries,” he added.
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Sounds like a Ponzi scheme… Buy a share over the Internet in a place that could be a very artfully photographed Priory hall. Demand is high, the asset is way over valued. The initial investors cash out at the maximum and when the asset plummets in value and the shares become unsellable, the late investors loose everything. Also seems like it’s completely unregulated and open to abuse by those with inside information as to the value of the assets and property shares.
This sort of scam is nothing new, been several schemes shut down the UK selling people ‘shares’ in London green belt land and selling them on the fact that it could be reclassified for development and increase in value 100 fold.
Well, I guess we have learnt over the last few years that there is no shortage of gullible people out there when it comes to property, especially the Irish!
Crowdfunding? a bid like NAMA in ways.
Fianna Fail would love this…..
i doubt mr tully would appreciate seeing his house thats for sale for almost 450,000 being used at the top of this article
So more foreign direct investment ready to make our property crisis even worse. Good man Enda look the other way as usual.
Hmmmmm.
No bona fide purchaser for value without notice. What could possibly go wrong?
What has equity’s darling got to do with this; what am I missing?
Does this solve the homeless crisis in Ireland? Do we have the same population as the UK with ready cash? This business solution is well on the way by an Irish company by Irish people and they will only be investing in Social houses so we can solve our own problems thanks!
Some tips to reduce rents: (1) govt cancel new 4% prsi tax on rental income (2) govt cancel new 7% usc tax on rental income (3) treat landlords as a business meaning cancel the 25% reduction in mortgage interest against rental income for purpose of calculating tax liable income. All 3 plus property tax have lead in my case to an effective 26% increase in the cost of renting out property which ive not yet passed on. But many landlords in dublin have. Guys THE GOVT HAS TAXED RENT INTO OBLIVION and wonder why rents increase but oh yeah they dont tell Joe Soap this little secret. …..
A lot of women in UK. are using this type of “crowdfunding investment”, to have a property portfolio to eventually make themselves a good pension, time will tell if it works, to me there seems to be a lot of costs involved, for what you might get out of it. Will this start another property bubble? I think so I wouldn’t like to see this happening here again. I am very interested in what Louise has said, how would that work? Would there be rent controls, I heard a TD. talk about that, and said the leases would be 20 years, but these are families, only investors would tuff them out of their home! That won’t work., people need homes of their own,for life, to rent or buy,That is a real need in Irish people.
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