Kenya and Bahamas establishes diplomatic relations by signing communique

The 19th Non-Aligned Summit, held Kampala, the capital of Uganda became the catalyst for the establishment of official diplomatic relations between Kenya and the Bahamas.

The two nations made the initiative official by signing a communique that serves the purpose of formalizing diplomatic relations between them.

Minister of Immigration and National Insurance, Alfred Sears and Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Dr Musalia Mudavadi, signed the communique on the 20th of January 2023.

This is an important step for both nations which have now joined a long list of Caribbean and African nations which have establish deep ties over the years and continue to work towards mutual goals for the benefit of their people.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Bahamas gave a statement, delineating his thoughts on this development, “This event marks a significant step towards fostering deeper mutual understanding, cooperation, and collaboration between the two nations as part of the government’s turn to Sub-Saharan and South-South cooperation.”

Such initiatives are of great importance to Caribbean nations due to their cultural ties with Africa. On a more pragmatic note, African nations such as Uganda have a significant amount of untapped resources and room for economic growth, which can be achieved by establishing good relations with willing partners.

Small Island Nations such as the Bahamas have also recognized the importance of African nations when approaching the international fraternity regarding social issues such as reparations for the exploitation indigenous populations and resources during colonial times.

This also acts as a means for these regions to find common ground and connect, not just as diplomatic entities or in terms of economic and trade collaborations but as societies and cultures.

One of the most unique features of the Non-Aligned Summit is that it provides a forum for nations which do not wish to conform to the demands and agendas of any major international power bloc.

The popularity of this ideology and the organisation created in its name is evident from the fact that The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is the largest group of nations following the United Nations. This is why the forum has the ability to impact various constructs of diplomacy, economics, trade and culture around the world.

The organisation now consists of 120 countries, having been founded by President of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito, President of Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser, Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, President of Indonesia Sukarno, and President of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah in 1961.

The organisation is appreciated for giving a platform to estranged nations or parties which have found it hard to express themselves at other international forums. This includes the non-UN member state of Palestine, as well as 17 other observer countries and 10 observer organizations.