ETHIOPIA GOVT. VISIT KENYA TO FAST-TRACK LAPSSET PROJECT

A team from the Ethiopian government will visit Kenya to learn about Kenya’s transport and logistics sectors.

The delegation, which will be led by Ethiopia’s Minister of Transport and Logistics Alemu Sime, will tour Lamu Port (LAPSSET corridor), Mombasa Port, Busia One Stop Border Post, Kisumu Port, and Inland Container Depot, among other places.

Ethiopia is among the countries under the LAPSET corridor project that was commissioned in 2011, bringing on board South Sudan and Kenya.

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen says that there is a need for Kenya and Ethiopia to establish a joint bilateral coordination team to fast-track the process of planning and implementation of the Corridor Transport Infrastructure.

“Although Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia have agreed on Regional Coordination Framework for co-ordination of the implementation of the project in all partner states Kenya and Ethiopia should also undertake joint and harmonized mobilization of resources for the development of the remaining cross-border Transport infrastructure e.g. the Railway line, pipeline and other One Stop Border Posts,” said Murkomen in a statement.

Murkomen adds that the LAPSSET Corridor Program is intended to create a second strategic Corridor that will open the Northern parts of Kenya.

The corridor will then connect to Ethiopia and South Sudan and, in the long term, link the East and West coasts of Africa.

The project the CS adds will scale up regional trade to unlock regional potential through infrastructure development.

“This regional integration allows for LAPSSET to position itself as the next frontier Economic Transport Corridor supporting manufacturing of goods and logistics handling, development of agriculture, livestock keeping and value addition within the entire Central and Eastern African region and export them to China through the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as many other international markets,” Murkomen stated.