NAIROBI, Kenya: June 20 (Xinhua) — Investors interested in participating in the construction of the new Lamu Port in Kenya and its supporting infrastructure like roads and a pipeline extending to Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda will meet in September at an investment conference to be held in Nairobi.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga announced on Tuesday that the conference will lay down opportunities that the private and public sector institutions can participate in to avoid a situation where some information is only availed only to some parties.
The construction of the Lamu Port and affiliated infrastructure will be done under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, according to National Economic and Social Council (NESC) the body that advises the Kenya presidency in economic matters.
“This is a real project that is going to materialise. It is not a substitute of the Northern Corridor so we are urging our development partners to take it seriously,” said Odinga during a joint government and donors conference in Nairobi.
He did not however reveal the exact date when the conference will be held. Northern Corridor refers to road and rail transport infrastructure stretching from the ports of the Indian Ocean, crossing the continent to the Atlantic Ocean, for instance linking the ports in Kenya to those in Cameroon through roads and rail.
The Lamu Port project commissioned last year by the presidents of Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia, with the three countries expected to account for the bulk of the port’s usage. Uganda also has expressed interest to have its oil shipped through the port.
“This project is going to open new markets for the region that will accelerate enterprise development. For instance, it will open Ethiopia, a market with 90 million people for Kenyans and vice versa,” said Raila.
It will also open up a huge chunk of underutilised land, now classified as arid and semi arid area that is not usually good for rain-fed farming, the mainstay of the Kenyan economy.
The Lamu Port project, officially known as Lamu-Southern Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET), has seven components that include; construction of the Lamu Port at the Manda Bay; construction of railway line from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to South Sudan, and Isiolo to Ethiopia; construction of airports at Isiolo, Lamu and Lake Turkana and construction of highway from Lamu to Isiolo, Isioloto South Sudan, and Isiolo to Ethiopia.
Other components include construction of resort cities at Lamu, Isiolo and Lake Turkana; construction of an oil refinery at Lamu; and construction of an oil pipeline from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to South Sudan, and Isiolo to Ethiopia. The projects including a new rail line, a refinery, and an oil pipeline are part of the country’s Vision 2030, the blue print to enable Kenya achieve middle income status. (Xinhua)
