Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. United States of America President Joe Biden on Thursday pledged to designate Kenya as a major non-NATO ally.
As reported by Al Jazeera, this will make Kenya the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to hold the designation.
Addressing a news conference at the White House on Thursday, during Kenyan President William Ruto’s three-day visit to the US, Biden described the decision as “a fulfilment of years of collaboration”. He said:
Our joint counterterrorism operations have degraded ISIS [ISIL] and al-Shabab across East Africa, our mutual support for Ukraine has rallied the world to stand behind the UN Charter, and our work together on Haiti is helping pave the way to reduce instability and insecurity.
A Major non-NATO ally (MNNA) is a designation given by the United States government to countries that are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but that have strategic working relationships with the U.S. Armed Forces.
Although MNNA status does not automatically constitute a mutual defence pact (as would be the case through NATO membership), it does confer a variety of military and financial advantages that are otherwise unobtainable by non-NATO countries.
The designation will allow Kenya to buy military technologies that would be harder for other countries to obtain from Washington.
According to the State Department website, MNNA benefits include the following:
MNNAs are eligible for loans of materials and equipment for research, development or testing.
US-owned War Reserve Stockpiles can be placed on MNNA territory.
MNNAs can be considered for the purchase of depleted uranium ammunition.
The allies can enter a formal agreement with the US Department of Defense to carry out research and development projects. Additionally, firms of the MNNA can bid on contracts to repair and maintain US Defense Department equipment outside of the US.
However, the designation would not guarantee new defence agreements or weapon sales between Nairobi and Washington.
The US has currently designated 18 countries as MNNAs. These include Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Thailand and Tunisia.
In 2022, Biden cancelled Afghanistan’s status as an MNNA, 10 years after the designation was first announced.
During Ruto’s three-day visit, Kenya and the U.S. also decided to establish dialogue on artificial intelligence, collaboratively support Somali “antiterrorism” efforts and push for a ceasefire in Sudan, among several other issues discussed.
According to Al Jazeera, Biden hosted a state dinner for Ruto on Thursday with about 500 guests including former President Bill Clinton and his wife and former presidential nominee, Hillary, as well as former President Barack Obama.
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