NAIROBI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Kenya and Malawi on Thursday signed eight new agreements aimed at strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.

The eight agreements, involving cooperation between Kenya and Malawi in politics, diplomacy, defense, fisheries and aquaculture, health and tourism, as well as cooperatives development, were signed by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera who concluded his three-day state visit to Kenya Thursday.

Speaking at a joint press address, President Kenyatta said collaboration and consolidation of ties between the two countries would guarantee socioeconomic growth of their citizens and the African continent as a whole and called for effective implementation of the newly-signed agreements.

"Through the years, Kenya and Malawi have maintained a strong bond of friendship that has seen the two countries collaborate in initiatives aimed at securing the prosperity of our peoples," Kenyatta said in a statement issued after the ceremony in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

President Kenyatta said that the founding fathers of the two countries were committed to and envisioned a truly free Africa, noting that subsequent generations were required to innovate and transform their societies through economic emancipation and genuine political independence.

He stressed that a strong Kenya-Malawi partnership would enhance the two nations' competitiveness, saying Nairobi was committed to working with the Southern Africa nation to ensure that the East African Community (EAC)-Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)-Southern African Development Community (SADC) Free Trade Areas and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) arrangements succeed, as Kenya believes that these arrangements, if well implemented, hold the answers to the continent's African Solutions to African Problems doctrine.

"Through these multilateral platforms, Kenya, Malawi and other African countries have an excellent opportunity to explore tangible approaches to build strong and resilient African economies, post COVID-19," Kenyatta said.

While regretting that the strong historical ties between Nairobi and Lilongwe had been dormant for a long time, Chakwera expressed confidence that the signing of the eight agreements would help reignite mutually beneficial relations. Enditem

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