Lamu Port to Contribute towards Enhancing Ethiopia’s Port Outlet: Ambassador Meles

Addis Ababa April 25/2019 The three newly built berths at Lamu Port of Kenya will contribute a lot towards enhancing Ethiopia’s port outlet facilities and accelerating regional trade relations, Ambassador Melese Alem disclosed.

Ethiopia’s ambassador to Kenya, Melese Alem told ENA that the completion of the three berths at Lamu Port will further boost Ethiopia’s foreign trade transaction with the neighboring counties.

Moreover, the berths would help to promote the country’s maritime and logistics facilities for access to international markets, he added.

Ambassador Melese added that the Lamu Port project is not limited to Ethiopia’s access to the port but also linked to a railway line project that will be constructed in connection with the port.

It was learned that the 25 billion USD infrastructure project, the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor, will link Kenya with Ethiopia, and South Sudan.  

He stated that Kenya has access to a highway connecting it to Uganda and Tanzania and Ethiopia’s road infrastructure with Kenya will enable the country to enjoy land transport access to Uganda and Tanzania.

Melese stressed that these projects will also facilitate to ensure sustainable peace and stability in the region and supplements Ethiopia’s long lasting diplomatic ties with Kenya to a meaningful economic diplomacy.

The infrastructural linkage between the countries in the sub-region will open up a sustained regional market corridor before the actual implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), he said.

The LAPSSET project involves a railway, a highway, a crude oil pipeline and a fiber-optic cable connecting the four countries.

The project will also include several airports, resort cities, an oil refinery, a 32-berth port in Lamu and other supporting infrastructure projects.