MoU signed on implementation of Djibouti-Addis Ababa-Juba-Kampala Corridor

Addis Ababa, May 17:-–The IGAD steering committee meeting on the transport facilitation and road upgrading studies for the Djibouti-Addis Ababa-Juba-Kampala Corridor was held in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The event was attended by the Executive Secretary of IGAD, Ambassador Eng. Mahboub Maalim, along with the Director for Transport, Infrastructure Development of the Ministry of Transport of Ethiopia, Mr. Fekadu Shumet.

The two-day meeting is meant to wrap-up the development studies for the corridor and is an opportunity for concerned IGAD Member States (Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda) and IGAD Secretariat to chart the way forward to implement the recommendations of the studies on the feasibility of the corridor which was undertaken by the Nairobi-based Africon Consulting firm.

The study strongly recommends the implementation of the corridor after carefully analysing the two components of the project and found that both components are technically and economically feasible as they scored high economic indicators.

The soft part, the feasibility study, of the project has been successfully concluded. The participants are looking into the hard part of it, which is the implementation part, said IGAD in a statement.

During his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary thanked the consulting firm for the timely delivery of a quality product before recalling that one of the main outcomes of the meeting was to agree on the way forward with the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) towards implementation.

He also cited a recent United Nations Economic Commission for Africa report that ranked IGAD as first in Africa in terms of infrastructural contribution to regional integration.

The Ethiopian Chair of the meeting thanked IGAD for organising the meeting and AfDB for the financial support to the studies.

As the meeting came to a close today after comprehensive deliberations, the four IGAD countries signed the MoU and pledged to finalise the associated documents within the next few months and to intensify efforts to ensure the success of the project.

The Kampala-Djibouti Corridor is a threat to the already planned of Berbera-Wachale Corridor between Ethiopia and Somaliland. DP World has leased Berbera in conjunction with Ethiopia for 30 years. Ethiopian imports are expected partially to be handled in Berbera Free Zone (planned) and make transit transportation to Ethiopia.

FBC reports