Top US Treasury Official To Visit Kenya and Somalia

By Samuel Ouma

A senior US Treasury official, Brian Nelson, will visit Kenya and Somalia this week.

The visit of Brian Nelson, Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, will highlight the United States' commitment to improving financial ties with Africa.

Nelson will address anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism funding policies during his visit.

He will also work to strengthen collaborations to handle regional security concerns posed by ISIS and al-Shabaab.

Nelson will further deliberate on strategies to collaborate with countries to tackle illegal financial flows in the region.

He will also highlight Somalia's progress toward debt relief this year and the long-term consequences of Russia's conflict with Ukraine in the area.  He would also emphasize the continuous exclusions from food and agricultural trade sanctions.

Under Secretary Nelson will engage with key government officials and business sector executives, including organizing a roundtable of financial institutions and engaging with local fintech startups in Kenya.

In Mogadishu, he will meet with government officials, the Somali Bankers Association, and the Money Transfer Business Association.

This week's visit is Under Secretary Nelson’s second trip to the continent and his first to East Africa.

It builds on Secretary Janet Yellen’s travel to Senegal, Zambia, and South Africa earlier this year.