NAIROBI, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Wednesday his government plans to establish an industrial city in Lamu where a port is being constructed to serve the region and the world at large.
Kenyatta reaffirmed Kenya's commitment to the development of transport economic corridors that will provide seamless connectivity and enhance trade and logistics within the region, saying the transport projects will help spur inter-regional trade and further strengthen regional integration.
"We must consider all transport corridor projects as regional projects, where Kenya, Ethiopia and our neighboring countries have a real stake," he said in a statement issued after inspecting the ongoing construction of the new 32-berth Lamu with visiting Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The Lamu port is being constructed under an ambitious Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor project, an economic and transport corridor that stretches from Kenya's coastal Lamu port to South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Kenyatta expressed satisfaction on the progress of the Lamu Port, saying he looked forward to the commencement of world-class logistics operations at the port so that traders can make Lamu the premier port of choice in East Africa.
The Kenyan leader disclosed that the two countries will, in due course, unveil their detailed proposals for how they intend to rejuvenate the logistics and transport business in the region and position East Africa as a global logistics center serving as the leading gateway into both the wider region as well as the rest of the continent.
Prime Minister Ahmed said the Lamu Port will benefit Ethiopia and South Sudan, encouraging the two countries to work as part of the efforts to integrate the whole of Africa.
He said there was a lot of potential in Ethiopia but without ports and road connectivity it would be difficult to export their products or import from other countries.
Ahmed stressed the importance of infrastructure and economic integration, saying it would be hard for countries to survive in the 21st century without good infrastructure. Enditem
