On April 27 every year, the Dutch community around the globe celebrates King’s Day. This year we commemorated the 50th birthday of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

King’s Day is a special occasion to the Dutch because it brings our nation together in celebrations marked by a flurry of activities such as flea markets, concerts and music festivals and the eating of Dutch traditional foods like raw herring.

I hosted the local Dutch community — the second largest in Africa — and guests from government, NGOs and the private sector at my official residence for the King’s Day fete.

During the event, I reiterated that the Netherlands is shifting its focus in Kenya from aid to trade – a culmination of maturity in our decades-long bilateral relationship.

The aid to trade relation between the nations is a partnership meant to stimulate private sector development, promote innovative financing, market and value chain development, technology transfer and creation of a favourable trade and investment climate.

The shift from aid to trade policy by the Dutch government in its relationship with Kenya calls for a paradigm shift in engagement meant to spur sustainable economic growth and development through trade.

A major highlight of the new diplomatic discourse is the emphasis on increased private sector engagement as demonstrated for instance, by the recent visit to Kenya by a business delegation made up of investors from the Dutch health sector.

The investors were scouting for investment opportunities in the health sector and to assist in the creation of smart solutions that will revolutionise access to healthcare services in Kenya.