In the presence of Kenyan President William Ruto, Kenya and the EU inaugurated the first section of a 560 km upgraded highway along the Northern Corridor - East Africa’s busiest trade and transport route - on 19 November in Mombasa.
The EU has supported this first section with €30 million in grants. The inaugural section of the new corridor is 54 km long and links Mombasa - Kenya’s second largest city and East Africa’s largest port - to Kilifi, a coastal town to the North.
“Improving the road infrastructure will increase the transport capacity of the road, significantly improve regional connectivity and enhance accessibility to rural and urban areas. Particular emphasis has been placed on sustainability and positive socio-economic impact for the communities along the Mombasa - Kilifi highway”, according to the European Commission.
This includes environmental and social measures, including training programmes for unemployed youth and improvements to non-motorised transport.
This project is part of the €150 billion Africa-Europe Global Gateway investment programme promised by the Commission at the sixth EU-African Union summit in February.
The four-phase Northern Corridor project between Mombasa and Kilifi also includes: upgrading the Mombasa-Mariakani highway (30 km), upgrading the Isebania-Kisii-Ahero highway (172 km) and associated feeder roads (230 km), as well as upgrading the Kitale-Morpus highway (75 km).
The EU will provide a total of €85 million in grants, the EIB and the German Development Bank KfW will jointly provide €190 million in support (i.e. €275 million from ‘Team Europe’).
With contributions from the Kenyan government and the African Development Bank, the total budget is €756 million.
The European and African Union Commissions, as well as the Foreign Affairs/Development Council, will take stock on 28 November of the implementation of the Africa-Europe Global Gateway investments. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)