China will finance the building of a second port in Kenya, a transport corridor and upgrading of the railroad linking Kenya’s Mombasa port and the Ugandan capital, Kampala, a statement said Wednesday.
The second port is to be built in the coastal town of Lamu, said the statement from President Mwai Kibaki’s office.
The new port in northern Kenya will be connected to Ethiopia, Southern Sudan and Rwanda. This would provide a route to export oil from Southern Sudan to China.
China also granted Kenya 7 million US dollar for “various projects in the country”, the statement said.
– Kenya highly appreciates the development assistance extended by China. The assistance has been substantial in financial terms and has a considerable impact on Kenya’s socio-economic development, President Mwai Kibaki said in Nairobi.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said in Kenya on Wednesday that his government was urging Chinese enterprises – many of which are state-owned – to “explore the possibility of co-operation with the Kenyan side on such projects”.
But he indicated that no firm financial commitments could be made until China had seen the results of a feasibility study that is currently under way.
Kenya has long been a donor-darling for many Western governments. In November, Chinas government said it would offer Africa 10 billion US dollar (51 milliarder DKR) in concessional loans over the next three years.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
