ESTDEV Kenya to help Estonia establish long-term relationships in Africa
Estonian Centre for International Development – ESTDEV opened a project management unit in Nairobi, Kenya, as part of the Digital Transformation for Sustainable Economic Development project.
We spoke with Kairi Saar-Isop, the director general of the Department of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about the significance of ESTDEV’s presence in Kenya.
Why is Kenya a priority country for Estonian development cooperation?
Kenya is a strategic partner of the European Union in Africa, especially on the issues of stability, security, and green economic development in the Horn of Africa, as well as an important partner in promoting multilateral cooperation and European values. As the economic centre of East Africa, Kenya has growing export and investment potential. This makes Kenya a valued development cooperation partner for Estonia for economic and political reasons. Estonia’s African Regional Strategy 2020-2030 outlines Estonia’s strategic goals for Africa, which include deepened foreign policy communication and cooperation with Kenya.
How does ESTDEV Kenya contribute to the fulfilment of Estonia’s strategic goals in Kenya?
Our goal is to work primarily in cooperation with other donors. This amplifies our impact and helps us better target our work by utilising the extensive local networks of the EU, other member states and donors. The newly opened ESTDEV office in Nairobi is important for establishing and deepening long-term and reliable relations and increasing Estonia’s visibility on Team Europe projects in Kenya.
Why is it important for Estonia to participate in Team Europe initiatives?
Africa neighbours Europe. Its growing population means there is potential to work together as economic partners. Still, there are significant challenges as these young people need education, employment opportunities and the chance to participate in shaping their countries. These challenges affect development not only in Africa but also in Europe, which includes Estonia.
As a small donor, Estonia is not able to influence larger social processes by acting alone. The EU and its member states — Team Europe — are the largest donors on the African continent. Their activities and contributions are planned according to the Global Gateway initiative. By coordinating activities, we can avoid repetition and competition in situations where, due to broader geopolitical interests, there are donors who disagree with us. When acting on the ground, we can see how partner countries appreciate when Team Europe speaks with one voice and places European expertise on the table.
Estonia is one of the most active members of Team Europe with regard to digital development cooperation. We are one of the founders of the Digital for Development (D4D) initiative. Under the D4D framework, the European Commission and its member states have begun several transcontinental digital development cooperation projects. For example, Estonia participates in e-governance, cyber security, data economy, digital-green revolution and business development projects. Estonia is one of the pioneers of this form of cooperation — together with four member states, we began the first Team Europe project in Africa in 2020 to support inclusive human-centric digital transition.
„Estonia has a strong reputation as a donor country able to make meaningful contributions.”
Kairi Saar-Isop
How are foreign-funded projects beneficial to Estonia?
Estonia has unique expertise in democratic governance, digital transformation, education and economic development, which are highly valued by our partner countries. By cooperating with other donors, we can amplify our work’s impact and increase our projects’ visibility to partner countries and fellow donors. Estonia has a strong reputation as a donor country able to make meaningful contributions. Our cooperation with global partners is a long-term investment in our security.
Projects with foreign funding have both a direct and an indirect impact on the Estonian economy. During the project implementation phase, labour taxes and other taxes paid by Estonian experts in relation to the project are paid in Estonia. In the long term, we help partner countries achieve their development goals and increase opportunities for economic cooperation.
Our implementation partners from the public, private and third sectors value the opportunity to do challenging, exciting and worldview-widening work while helping to achieve sustainable development goals. We learn lessons from development cooperation, which are useful for Estonia’s continued development.
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