Queen Maxima of Netherlands set to visit Kenya
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands reacts during a tour of the De Peel nature reserve in Deurne, as part of a regional visit of the North Brabant province, on September 15, 2022. - She is set to visit Kenya in October 2023.
What you need to know:
- A dispatch from the Royal House of the Netherlands indicates Queen Maxima will be in the country in her capacity as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA).
- Queen Maxima’s visit is characterized by a primary focus on enhancing the quality of digital financial services in addition to promoting financial health and inclusive green finance.
The Queen of Netherlands is set to visit Kenya between October 23-25 for a series of engagements in Nairobi and Kisumu including talks with President William Ruto.
Royal House of Netherlands
A dispatch from the Royal House of the Netherlands indicates Queen Maxima will be in the country in her capacity as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA).
The visit precedes that of King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom who are expected in the country later this month.
Their visit which is scheduled from October 31-November 3 is a result of an invite from President Ruto as Kenya prepares to celebrate 60 years of independence.
Queen Maxima’s visit is characterized by a primary focus on enhancing the quality of digital financial services in addition to promoting financial health and inclusive green finance.
A press release from the Royal House of the Netherlands indicates the Queen's tour will begin with two field visits in Kisumu near Lake Victoria.
Innovative digital insurance
She will meet with farmers who utilize innovative digital insurance products to protect themselves from the effects of severe drought and excessive rainfall.
In the event of crop damage, the insurance can use satellite data to accurately assess income loss and pay out compensation right away.
“Queen Máxima will meet with the founders and users of an agricultural vehicle digital rental business, which is mostly used by smallholder farmers. The farmer estimates the perimeter of the field to be worked via an app, and the platform connects them with the owner of a farm vehicle. Later in the day, Her Majesty will fly to Nairobi to meet with young entrepreneurs and learn about their experiences with digital financial services provided by fintech firms and banks,” said the Royal House.
The Royal House affirmed that during her field trip in Nairobi, Queen Máxima would unravel the transformative potential of easily accessible digital loans, particularly those offered by the Medical Credit Fund.
According to her, female clinic entrepreneurs are frequently unable to obtain a bank loan. They can invest directly in their hospital without regular security with a loan from the credit fund and thereby provide better care. Repayment is made digitally by remitting a fixed percentage of the clinic's revenue specified by the clinic's owner on a daily basis."
Beyond her field trips, her role will include deep debates within Nairobi, exploring into many aspects of financial inclusion.
Financial health
“Queen Máxima will also participate in talks in Nairobi on various aspects of financial inclusion, including financial health. Both in the Netherlands and in her work for the UN, she advocates financial health as the starting point for developing financial products, services and policy. This includes innovations such as automatically saving small amounts, customised insurance products and affordable loans for investment in a business or study. Inclusive green finance is also on the agenda,” the Netherland government said.
“She will talk to impact investors about developing financial products that help people protect themselves from the negative impacts of climate change at micro level. At the local UN office, she will speak to representatives of development organisations and will attend the presentation of the UN report ‘Addressing Inequality: Universal Access to Digital Financial Services for Equitable Growth.’”
The Queen's schedule will also include meetings with notable figures in Kenya. Among the dignitaries on the list are President Ruto, the Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, Kamau Thugge, among other senior government officials.
The Royal House stated, "Queen Máxima will be accompanied on the visit by representatives of the Reference Group, which she has been working with since 2009, the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, the Gates Foundation, and the World Bank. She previously paid a visit to Kenya in her role as UNSGSA in 2010," reaffirming the Queen's unwavering commitment to inclusive finance and development in the Kenyan context.
