Kenya and Japan have signed a term sheet for a yen-denominated loan backed by Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, Japan’s state-owned trade insurer, replacing an earlier plan to issue a Samurai bond. The size, tenor and pricing of the facility were not disclosed. The agreement was announced in Tokyo after President William Ruto met Prime Minister Nobuteru Ishiba during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development. Ruto said the financing will support projects that deepen economic links between the two countries, and urged Japanese companies to expand investments in Kenya’s energy, manufacturing and infrastructure sectors. Beyond financing, the two governments renewed a health-sector partnership aimed at bolstering resilient systems, while Ruto highlighted domestic progress, citing a US$2 billion drop in Kenya’s food import bill and a plan to raise annual blue-economy output six-fold to Sh120 billion.