Ladies and gentlemen,
Mabibi na mabwana,
Hamjambo!
Habari za jioni!

Good evening. It is a pleasure to join you as we mark what I am sure will be an extraordinary partnership between Stanford, one of the world’s premier universities, and so many of the great innovators and entrepreneurs here tonight. The Stanford SEED Transformation Program will bring new growth and innovation to Kenya through the promotion of business development and management skills. It will bring Silicon Valley ingenuity and the expertise of Stanford’s leading business faculty to help businesses across East Africa expand. And, ultimately, it will bring jobs and greater prosperity across Africa.

We all know that the entrepreneurial spirit in Kenya is strong. And the Stanford SEED program will help it grow further. Kenya led the world with the groundbreaking commerce and banking technology M-PESA. But M-PESA is not the only impressive innovation that that has come from Kenya. From the Ushahidi crowdsourcing and the iCow information app to the jua kali businesses lining Nairobi’s roads, the creativity and talent of Kenya’s entrepreneurs have the capacity to change Kenya, Africa, and the world.

So, it is not surprising that Kenya welcomed President Obama when it hosted the Fifth Global Entrepreneurship Summit last July. Along with the President, the GES drew world-renowned entrepreneurs and investors – including many of you here tonight – to Nairobi. Stanford University played an important role in the last year’s GES. And next month, Stanford will host President Obama and the Sixth Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Silicon Valley California. Because of this, the Stanford SEED program represents a unique bridge in promoting President Obama’s vision of the GES: deeper ties between business leaders, foundations, and social entrepreneurs in the United States and around the world.

During his speech at the GES here in Nairobi, President Obama captured the essence of the importance of entrepreneurship when he said, “Entrepreneurship creates new jobs and new businesses, new ways to deliver basic services, new ways of seeing the world -- it’s the spark of prosperity. It helps citizens stand up for their rights and push back against corruption. Entrepreneurship offers a positive alternative to the ideologies of violence and division that can all too often fill the void when young people don’t see a future for themselves.” And this, especially now, is why the United States is so committed to supporting entrepreneurship and business development in Kenya and across Africa.

As part of the agreements coming from the GES, the United States has renewed AGOA for another ten years, which will create tens of thousands of new jobs. In 2014, Kenya had over $325 million in exports to the United States under AGOA, particularly through growth in Kenya’s apparel industry. And this year, apparel exports alone are expected to grow to over $400 million. Furthermore, our Trade Africa initiative promotes exports and investment from across East Africa, and seeks to create an additional 10,000 new jobs over the next five years. So far, USAID has facilitated nearly $220 million in African exports and $75 million in local investment under the Trade Africa initiative. And, earlier this year, we launched the WECREATE Kenya Women’s Entrepreneurship Center, which provides entrepreneurship training, mentorship, and networking opportunities to over 1,000 Kenyan women. Not only do these initiatives create jobs and spur economic growth, they bring prosperity and dignity to communities. They bring health and education to families. And they promote peace and stability across Kenya and East Africa.

So, I am pleased that the Stanford SEED program will further strengthen our ties with Kenya and Africa – ties between our people, our businesses, and our governments. And it will further build upon our commitment to entrepreneurship, business development, and prosperity demonstrated during President Obama’s visit and the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. Congratulations to all of you here tonight. Let’s celebrate the launch of this program and the innovative ideas that will result. Together we are helping to and Kenya, East Africa, and the world a better and more prosperous place.

Pamoja tusonge mbele.

Asanteni sana.