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Korea Herald
12-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
[Bridge to Africa] Kenya urges Korea to fast-track maritime, mineral cooperation
Kenyan minister suggests Korea–Africa trade expos, digital platforms to bridge gap in Korean businesses' limited knowledge of African markets Kenya is calling on Korea to deepen maritime and mineral cooperation through accelerated technology transfers, said Hassan Ali Joho, Kenya's Cabinet secretary for mining, blue economy and maritime affairs, in an interview with The Korea Herald. 'We are looking for Korean support in building infrastructure for fisheries, training human resources, transferring fish processing technologies and advancing the blue economy through expert collaboration,' he said. Joho was in Busan to attend the 10th Our Ocean Conference, held from April 28 to 30. According to Joho, Kenya aims to enhance marine sustainability by expanding "Marine Protected Areas," improving coastal pollution control and involving local communities in conservation efforts. Highlighting 50 years of Kenya-Korea ties, Joho referenced memorandums of understanding on the blue economy and fisheries signed during the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, along with a draft proposal for mutual recognition of seafarers' certificates to boost Kenyan employment on Korean vessels. Joho outlined Kenya's interest in creating frameworks for certificate recognition under the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, as well as launching student and trainer exchanges in maritime education, joint research and technical support in fisheries development. 'Kenya has been selected to host the 11th edition of the OOC in 2026,' Joho told The Korea Herald. As Kenya prepares to host the next OOC, Joho praised Korea's achievements in marine conservation and port management as a model for Kenya's own strategy. Discussing the seaweed sector, Joho revealed Kenya's plans to expand seaweed farming through new sites, deep-sea cultivation and industrial development. 'This will require Korean technical expertise and research support. Korea has valuable experience in building a sustainable seaweed industry,' he added. However, Joho also acknowledged challenges in the Korea-Africa business environment. 'Many Korean businesses have limited knowledge of African markets, regulations, consumer behavior and investment opportunities,' he pointed out. 'Likewise, African enterprises often lack access to information about Korean technologies and standards.' To bridge this gap, Joho recommends establishing more joint business forums, Korea–Africa trade expos and digital platforms for greater commercial visibility. 'We must also strengthen the role of embassies and trade missions to facilitate better cooperation,' he added. Commending Korea for its role in maritime training, Joho highlighted ongoing cooperation between Kenyan institutions, such as Bandari Maritime Academy, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Mount Kenya University and Pioneer International University, and Korea's Maritime Education Training Support Center. He noted that Korean instructors and retired seafarers have helped train Kenyan cadets, offering valuable international exposure. Joho also urged Korea to view Kenya as a strategic partner in critical minerals. 'Kenya recognizes and appreciates the role Korean companies play in the global mineral trade, particularly in green and critical minerals,' said Joho. 'To complement one another, Kenya proposes to advance Korean interests in the supply of mineral resources.' He outlined potential areas for collaboration, including strengthening Kenya's value-addition capabilities, developing mineral smelting technologies, supporting rural cottage industries and pursuing joint research in green technology-related mineral processing. 'Korean investment in the entire value chain — from exploration to final products — will be key to inclusive growth,' he emphasized. On the regional front, Joho detailed Kenya's efforts to strengthen maritime security under the Djibouti Code of Conduct and its Jeddah Amendment. 'Initiatives like Exercise Usalama Baharini 2024 and the upcoming Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement 2025 underscore our commitment to maritime safety and tackling illicit activities,' he said. He also pointed to Kenya's leadership in promoting a regional cabotage regime to boost intra-African trade in the African Continental Free Trade Area. 'This culminated in Kenya hosting the African Cabotage and Blue Economy Conference in 2023,' he recalled, adding that as of January this year Kenya has eased travel requirements for African nationals, exempting most from the electronic travel authorization process. 'This is part of a broader push to increase intra-African trade and investment,' he added. Profile: Hassan Ali Joho is a Kenyan politician currently serving as the Cabinet secretary for mining, blue economy, and maritime affairs. He began his political career in 2004 and was elected as a member of parliament for Kisauni in 2007. From 2013 to 2022, he was the first governor of Mombasa County and has held positions such as assistant minister for transport, national organizing secretary and deputy party leader of the Orange Democratic Movement. Joho is a member of the International Steering Committee of the Strong Cities Network, promoting peace and security. sanjaykumar@
NDTV
08-05-2025
- NDTV
2 Belgian Teens Found With 5,000 Ants Given $7,700 Fine Or Year In Jail
Nairobi: Two Belgian teenagers found with 5,000 ants in Kenya were given a choice of paying a fine of $7,700 or serving 12 months in prison - the minimum penalty for the offense - for violating wildlife conservation laws. Authorities said the ants were destined for European and Asian markets in an emerging trend of trafficking lesser-known wildlife species. Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19 years old, were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house in Nakuru county, which is home to various national parks. They were charged on April 15. Magistrate Njeri Thuku, sitting at the court in Kenya's main airport on Wednesday, said in her ruling that despite the teenagers telling the court they were naive and collecting the ants as a hobby, the particular species of ants they collected is valuable and they had thousands of them - not just a few. The Kenya Wildlife Service had said the teenagers were involved in trafficking the ants to markets in Europe and Asia, and that the species included messor cephalotes, a distinctive, large and red-colored harvester ant native to East Africa. "This is beyond a hobby. Indeed, there is a biting shortage of messor cepholates online," Thuku said in her ruling. The teenagers' lawyer, Halima Nyakinyua, described the sentencing as "fair" and said her clients would not appeal. "When the statutes prescribe a specific minimum amount, the court cannot go lower than that. So, even if we went to the court of appeal, the court is not going to revise that," she said. The illegal export of the ants "not only undermines Kenya's sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits," KWS said in a statement. In a separate but related case, two other men charged after they were found with 400 ants were also fined $7,700 each with an option of serving 12 months in prison. Duh Hung Nguyen, a Vietnamese national, told the court that he was sent to pick up the ants and arrived at Kenya's main airport where he met his contact person, Dennis Ng'ang'a, and together they travelled to meet the locals who sell the ants. Ng'ang'a, who is from Kenya, had said he didn't know it was illegal because ants are sold and eaten locally. Magistrate Thuku during the ruling described Ng'ang'a and Nguyen's meet-up as "part of an elaborate scheme." Experts in Kenya have in recent days warned of an emerging trend to traffic lesser-known wildlife species. Entomologist Shadrack Muya, a senior lecturer at Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, told The Associated Press that garden ants are important for aerating soils, enhancing soil fertility and dispersing seeds. "Ants play a very important role in the environment and their disturbance, which is also their removal, will lead to disruption of the ecosystem," he said. Muya warned against taking ants from their natural habitats, saying they were unlikely to survive if not supported to adapt to their new environment. "Survival in the new environment will depend on the interventions that are likely to take place. Where it has been taken away from, there is a likelihood of an ecological disaster that may happen due to that disturbance," he said.
Los Angeles Times
07-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Two Belgian teenagers found with 5,000 ants in Kenya given $7,700 fine or 1-year prison sentence
NAIROBI, Kenya — Two Belgian teenagers found with 5,000 ants in Kenya were given a choice of paying a fine of $7,700 or serving 12 months in prison — the minimum penalty for the offense — for violating wildlife conservation laws. Authorities said the ants were destined for European and Asian markets in an emerging trend of trafficking lesser-known wildlife species. Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19 years old, were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house in Nakuru county, which is home to various national parks. They were charged on April 15. Magistrate Njeri Thuku, sitting at the court in Kenya's main airport on Wednesday, said in her ruling that despite the teenagers telling the court they were naive and collecting the ants as a hobby, the particular species of ants they collected is valuable and they had thousands of them — not just a few. The Kenya Wildlife Service had said the teenagers were involved in trafficking the ants to markets in Europe and Asia, and that the species included messor cephalotes, a distinctive, large and red-colored harvester ant native to East Africa. 'This is beyond a hobby. Indeed, there is a biting shortage of messor cepholates online,' Thuku said in her ruling. The teenagers' lawyer, Halima Nyakinyua, described the sentencing as 'fair' and said her clients would not appeal. 'When the statutes prescribe a specific minimum amount, the court cannot go lower than that. So, even if we went to the court of appeal, the court is not going to revise that,' she said. The illegal export of the ants 'not only undermines Kenya's sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits,' KWS said in a statement. In a separate but related case, two other men charged after they were found with 400 ants were also fined $7,700 each with an option of serving 12 months in prison. Duh Hung Nguyen, a Vietnamese national, told the court that he was sent to pick up the ants and arrived at Kenya's main airport where he met his contact person, Dennis Ng'ang'a, and together they traveled to meet the locals who sell the ants. Ng'ang'a, who is from Kenya, had said he didn't know it was illegal because ants are sold and eaten locally. Magistrate Thuku during the ruling described Ng'ang'a and Nguyen's meet-up as 'part of an elaborate scheme.' Experts in Kenya have in recent days warned of an emerging trend to traffic lesser-known wildlife species. Entomologist Shadrack Muya, a senior lecturer at Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, told the Associated Press that garden ants are important for aerating soils, enhancing soil fertility and dispersing seeds. 'Ants play a very important role in the environment and their disturbance, which is also their removal, will lead to disruption of the ecosystem,' he said. Muya warned against taking ants from their natural habitats, saying they were unlikely to survive if not supported to adapt to their new environment. 'Survival in the new environment will depend on the interventions that are likely to take place. Where it has been taken away from, there is a likelihood of an ecological disaster that may happen due to that disturbance,' he said. Musambi writes for the Associated Press.
Belfast Telegraph
07-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Two Belgian teenagers found with 5,000 ants sentenced in Kenya
Authorities said the ants were destined for European and Asian markets in an emerging trend of trafficking lesser-known wildlife species. Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19-years-old, were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house in Nakuru county, which is home to various national parks. They were charged on April 15. Magistrate Njeri Thuku, sitting at the court in Kenya's main airport on Wednesday, said in her ruling that despite the teenagers telling the court they were naive and collecting the ants as a hobby, the particular species of ants they collected was valuable and they had thousands of them — not just a few. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) had said the teenagers were involved in trafficking the ants to markets in Europe and Asia, and that the species included messor cephalotes, a distinctive, large and red-coloured harvester ant native to East Africa. 'This is beyond a hobby. Indeed, there is a biting shortage of messor cepholates online,' Ms Thuku said in her ruling. The teenagers' lawyer, Halima Nyakinyua, described the sentence — the minimum penalty for the offence — as 'fair' and said her clients would not appeal. 'When the statutes prescribe a specific minimum amount, the court cannot go lower than that. So, even if we went to the court of appeal, the court is not going to revise that,' she said. The illegal export of the ants 'not only undermines Kenya's sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities andresearch institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits,' KWS said in a statement. In a separate but related case, two other men charged after they were found with 400 ants were also fined 7,700 dollars each with an option of serving 12 months in prison. Duh Hung Nguyen, a Vietnamese national, told the court that he was sent to pick up the ants and arrived at Kenya's main airport where he met his contact person, Dennis Ng'ang'a, and together they travelled to meet the locals who sell the ants. Ng'ang'a, who is from Kenya, had said he did not know it was illegal because ants were sold and eaten locally. Magistrate Ms Thuku during the ruling described Ng'ang'a and Nguyen's meet-up as 'part of an elaborate scheme'. Experts in Kenya have in recent days warned of an emerging trend to traffic lesser-known wildlife species. Entomologist Shadrack Muya, a senior lecturer at Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, told The Associated Press that garden ants were important for aerating soils, enhancing soil fertility and dispersing seeds. 'Ants play a very important role in the environment and their disturbance, which is also their removal, will lead to disruption of the ecosystem,' he said. Mr Muya warned against taking ants from their natural habitats, saying they were unlikely to survive if not supported to adapt to their new environment. 'Survival in the new environment will depend on the interventions that are likely to take place. Where it has been taken away from, there is a likelihood of an ecological disaster that may happen due to that disturbance,' he said.
07-05-2025
Teenagers found with 5,000 ants in Kenya given fine or 1-year jail sentence
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Two Belgian teenagers found with 5,000 ants in Kenya were given a choice of paying a fine of $7,700 or serving 12 months in prison — the maximum penalty for the offense — for violating wildlife conservation laws. Authorities said the ants were destined for European and Asian markets in an emerging trend of trafficking lesser-known wildlife species. Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19 years old, were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house in Nakuru county, which is home to various national parks. They were charged on April 15. Magistrate Njeri Thuku, sitting at the court in Kenya's main airport on Wednesday, said in her ruling that despite the teenagers telling the court they were naïve and collecting the ants as a hobby, the particular species of ants they collected is valuable and they had thousands of them — not just a few. The Kenya Wildlife Service had said the teenagers were involved in trafficking the ants to markets in Europe and Asia, and that the species included messor cephalotes, a distinctive, large and red-colored harvester ant native to East Africa. 'This is beyond a hobby. Indeed, there is a biting shortage of messor cepholates online,' Thuku said in her ruling. The illegal export of the ants 'not only undermines Kenya's sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits,' KWS said in a statement. In a separate but related case, two other men charged after they were found with 400 ants were also fined $7,700 each with an option of serving 12 months in prison. Duh Hung Nguyen, a Vietnamese national, told the court that he was sent to pick up the ants and arrived at Kenya's main airport where he met his contact person, Dennis Ng'ang'a, and together they travelled to meet the locals who sell the ants. Ng'ang'a, who is from Kenya, had said he didn't know it was illegal because ants are sold and eaten locally. Magistrate Thuku during the ruling described Ng'ang'a and Nguyen's meet-up as 'part of an elaborate scheme.' Experts in Kenya have in recent days warned of an emerging trend to traffic lesser-known wildlife species. Entomologist Shadrack Muya, a senior lecturer at Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, told The Associated Press that garden ants are important for aerating soils, enhancing soil fertility and dispersing seeds. 'Ants play a very important role in the environment and their disturbance, which is also their removal, will lead to disruption of the ecosystem,' he said. Muya warned against taking ants from their natural habitats, saying they were unlikely to survive if not supported to adapt to their new environment. 'Survival in the new environment will depend on the interventions that are likely to take place. Where it has been taken away from, there is a likelihood of an ecological disaster that may happen due to that disturbance,' he said.
