China Exim Bank holds Belt and Road forum in Nairobi, Financial Street Forum's first venue in Africa

The Export-Import Bank of China held a Belt and Road forum in Nairobi and Beijing at the same time on 21 October, the first time the Financial Street Forum Annual Conference has had a venue in Africa, the Chinese Embassy in Kenya said.

Chinese Ambassador Guo Haiyan attended the Nairobi session and gave a speech. John Mbadi Ng'ongo, Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning, and Davis Chirchir, Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, also attended and spoke. Representatives of Chinese enterprises were present.

The forum was titled "Upholding Openness and Win-Win Cooperation To Foster New Dynamism For High Quality Belt and Road Cooperation".

Guo said China-Kenya relations are a vivid epitome of China-Africa friendship and cooperation in the new era. She said China stands ready to further deepen infrastructure cooperation with African countries, make full use of its zero-tariff policy for Africa, explore more uses for CIPS, the Cross-border Interbank Payment System for yuan payments, and advance China-Africa financial cooperation.

Mbadi and Chirchir said the Belt and Road Initiative has become an important platform for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, promoting trade and investment, and expanding diversified financing channels. They said they stand ready to work with all parties to further deepen China-Africa cooperation.

The Financial Street Forum Annual Conference 2026 opened in Beijing on 19 October with more than 400 guests from around the world, China Daily reported on 20 October. Its theme is "Building an Open Collaborative and Inclusive Ecosystem for Global Financial Development". Besides the main forum in Beijing, the conference has five sub-venues, in Hong Kong, London, Paris, Toronto and Nairobi.

The Export-Import Bank of China, also known as China Exim Bank, has backed projects in Kenya. The National Treasury said Mbadi met Yang Dongning, a vice president of the bank, in Beijing on 2 April 2025. It listed the Standard Gauge Railway linking Mombasa and Naivasha, the Southern Bypass and Western Bypass roads, and the Kenyatta University Teaching, Research and Referral Hospital among the projects the bank has supported. The talks included a review of the bank's current portfolio of projects and the need for sustainable financing for ongoing and new initiatives.