Nairobi, 01 June 2022 (TDI): The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, embarked on a four-day trip to Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday. Adesina will spend his time in Kenya examining key projects launched by AfDB. The Kenol-Sagana-Marua highway project is a project that received joint support from the AfDB, the Kenyan Government, and the Africa Growing Together Fund.
The Kenol-Sagana-Marua Highway Project in Kenya
In the talk about the Kenol-Sagana-Marua highway project, AfDB has assisted the project by contributing €178 million. Meanwhile, the Kenyan Government offered €49 million. At the same time, the Africa Growing Together Fund provided the project with €31 million.
The project aims to renovate the 84km single bitumen road into a two-way dual carriageway. Such renovation can facilitate easy entry to the northern corridor by minimizing travel time and cost.
According to AfDB’s Director-General, the road will fortify the Kenyan government’s efforts to advance the standard of life of the Kenyan people. Minimizing travel time, enlarging markets past national borders, and elevating rural productivity can contribute a lot to the convenience of daily life. The highway links the capital city to the central, upper eastern, and the country’s northern areas. The road is also the country’s portion of the Trans-African Highway that links Cairo to Cape Town. The highway will also enhance regional integration by linking Kenya and Ethiopia via the Isiolo-Moyale corridor, and Kenya and Somalia by the Isiolo-Mandera corridor. The Kenol-Sagana-Maru project is scheduled to be completed by 2024.
Kenya’s Relationship with AfDB
The work of AfDB in Kenya is not new. Since 1967, AfDB has contributed about $6.3 billion towards energy, agriculture, transport, and other social sectors in Kenya. Moreover, during this visit, Adesina will also interact with senior government officials. For instance, Adesina will have a meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta. Also, Adesina will meet with Ukur Yatani Kanacho, Cabinet Secretary for Kenyan National Treasury and Planning who used to serve as the Governor for Kenya in the AfDB Group.
Furthermore, this visitation contains meetings with the officials of the diplomatic corps in Kenya and representatives of the Bank’s international development partners for further discussions. Future opportunities and cooperation are highly welcomed. The Kenol-Sagana-Marua highway project is a great prospect for traffic reduction as well as trade expansion.
