By Senior Editor, China Africa News
Nairobi, The Chinese Embassy recently hosted a high‑level seminar on China’s Global Development Initiative (GDI), drawing senior Kenyan government officials, diplomats, representatives of multilateral agencies, scholars, and business leaders.
The gathering underscored the growing importance that Kenya attaches to this China‑proposed agenda, which aims to promote fair, inclusive and green growth around the world.
Speaking on behalf of his government, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi affirmed that Kenya is fully aligned with the GDI’s people‑centred vision. Through Ambassador Lucy Kiruthu who delivered his speech he said Kenya views the initiative not simply as a funding mechanism but as a collaborative platform: a way for developing countries to identify and prioritize projects in health, education, water and sanitation, and agriculture that are most relevant to their own realities.
He also called on international organisations to engage more deeply with GDI’s South‑South Cooperation Fund to support development in social and infrastructure sectors.
China’s Ambassador to Kenya, Guo Haiyan, described the GDI as a “global public good.” She argued that at a time of rising uncertainty around the world, consensus and cooperation are more critical than ever to achieve development that is balanced, inclusive, and sustainable.
According to Guo, the initiative gives countries a fairer shot at development opportunities and outcomes especially among the Global South.
Also present was Stephen Jackson, the UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya, who praised the GDI as a visionary response to some of humanity’s greatest challenges: climate change, hunger, geopolitical fault lines, and digital inequality. He noted that the initiative’s focus on people-centred modernization aligns closely with the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
The seminar is also a clear reflection of the deepening ties between Kenya and China. The two countries recently elevated their relationship to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” following a state visit by Kenyan President William Ruto to Beijing, during which more than twenty cooperation agreements were signed.
Infrastructure has long been a cornerstone of this partnership: Kenya has benefited from major Chinese-backed projects, such as the Mombasa–Nairobi Railway, the Nairobi Expressway, and large-scale energy and social‑sector developments.
But the GDI goes beyond bricks and mortar. In its global framework, China proposes cooperation along eight priority areas poverty reduction, food security, climate response, industrialisation, financing for development, digital connectivity, health, and education. Through these, China argues, the GDI helps translate the ideals of the 2030 Agenda into concrete, locally driven development partnerships.
The significance of Kenya’s embrace of the GDI lies in both symbolism and substance. Symbolically, it represents a reaffirmation that developing nations are charting their own paths, working collaboratively rather than passively receiving aid. Substantively, it promises practical support to Kenya’s development priorities leveraging global cooperation for bottom-up growth in areas that affect people’s daily lives.
By participating in the GDI, Kenya is signalling that it sees its future not just in traditional financial flows, but in a cooperative model that emphasises shared responsibility, sustainability, and respect for national priorities.
In a world where the gap between rich and poor countries continues to worry policymakers, Kenya’s alignment with the GDI may serve as a model for how nations can build more equitable and inclusive partnerships not just for themselves, but for a broader global community.
