Kenya launched the construction of a massive port, railway and refinery Friday near a UNESCO-listed Indian Ocean island in a project it bills as the biggest ever in an African nation.Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir unveiled a plaque in a ceremony to mark the official start of building work near Lamu island in Kenya's southeast.
"I have no doubt that this day will go down in history as one of the defining moments, when we made a major stride to connect our people to the many socio-economic opportunities that lie ahead," Kibaki said.
The project will provide the "landlocked countries of our region with a direct and dependable route to the sea" and help connect "the entire east and central African region to international markets," he added.
Nairobi hopes the $24.5 billion (18.5-billion-euro) scheme will turn the east African country into a regional economic hub and propel it to become a middle-income economy in the next two decades. Read more AFP
Kenya, Ethiopia, S. Sudan sign off gigantic port deal
Construction has begun on a $23bn (£14.5bn) port project and oil refinery in south-eastern Kenya's coastal Lamu region near war-torn Somalia's border.
An oil pipeline, railway and motorway will also be built linking Lamu to South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Newly independent South Sudan plans to use Lamu as its main oil export outlet.
Some analysts say security concerns for the project may explain the presence of Ethiopian and Kenyan troops in Somalia aiming to pacify the region.
Kenya's leader Mwai Kibaki launched the project along with his South Sudanese and Ethiopian counterparts, Salva Kiir and Meles Zenawi respectively.
Read more: Africa Review
Kenya vows to tackle security threats to spur development in East Africa
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said on Friday the East African country will continue to work with its neighbors to ensure that any security challenges to development endeavors are neutralized.
He was speaking in the Indian Ocean coastal town of Lamu during the ground-breaking ceremony for the Lamu Port-South Sudan- Ethiopia Transport Project (LAPSSET).
Kibaki welcomed the progress made in stabilizing Somalia, saying Kenya stands ready to help its Somali brothers and sisters as they seek peace and prosperity during the reconstruction of their country.
“I have no doubt that many years of peace and prosperity lie ahead for our entire region. Indeed, the presence of my brother President Salva Kiir South Sudan, less than a year after his country attained independence, is testimony of the possibilities of peace, self-determination and progress despite many years of strife,” Kibaki said.
The Kenyan leader whose country launched cross-border incursion into Somalia to battle with Al-Shabaab blamed for a series of abduction of foreigners lauded the African Union, the regional bloc COMESA, the East Africa Community, the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), as well as development partners including the Africa Development Bank, the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for supporting the LAPSSET project.
Read more RBC Radio
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