Nairobi: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim departed for home today after concluding the final leg of his three-country visit to Africa, marking Malaysia’s renewed efforts to strengthen engagement with the continent. The chartered Malaysia Airlines aircraft carrying the prime minister left the State Pavilion Terminal of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 7 pm (Nov 25, 12 am Malaysian time) heading to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), with an expected arrival in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Anwar was accompanied by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (Federal Territory) Datuk Seri Zaliha Mustafa, senior government officials, and a delegation of business leaders. The prime minister’s visit to Ethiopia was significant as it was aimed at intensifying engagement with the African continent through the African Union’s headquarters in Addis Ababa.

Anwar’s tour commenced on November 18 at the ‘Horn of Africa’ – a first for a Malaysian prime minister – following Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali’s visit to Malaysia in October last year. After Ethiopia, Anwar traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa, for a working visit from November 20 to 23 to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit, before concluding his tour in Nairobi, Kenya, from November 23 to 24.

During his official visit to Nairobi, Malaysia and Kenya agreed to elevate their long-standing bilateral relations to a strategic partnership, marking a significant milestone in their 60-year diplomatic ties. Both nations committed to removing tariff and non-tariff barriers, boosting Kenyan exports to Malaysia, and enhancing cooperation in digital technology and high-tech manufacturing sectors.

Kenya’s principal exports to Malaysia include tea, coffee, flowers, avocados, titanium, hides, and beef, while Malaysia’s exports to Kenya mainly consist of edible oils and fats, chemical products, electronics, agricultural chemicals, and rubber.