African Development Bank Group Board Approves $217 Million to Finance Vital Horn of Africa Road Project

30 November 2021
Content from a Premium Partner
African Development Bank (Abidjan)
press release

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved $217 million in loans to fund a project that will improve road transport services in Kenya's northeastern region.

The loans comprise $75 million from the non-concessional window of the Bank Group and $142 million from the concessional lending division, known as the African Development Fund. The Kenyan government will contribute $6.3 million. The $223.3 million project covers the 740 km Isiolo-Mandera corridor and will enhance regional integration and trade between Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. About 867,000 people who reside around the project area are expected to benefit from the initiative.

The road network, including the 142 km El Wak-Rhamu stretch, is one of the four priority corridors identified under the Horn of Africa Initiative, driven by the governments of Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea and Djibouti. The initiative is supported by the African Development Bank, World Bank and European Union.

The road project is expected to contribute to the socio-economic development of communities along the corridor, which is characterized by high poverty levels and prone to insecurity. According to World Bank estimates, 70 percent of the residents in the project area live in poverty, with poor access to basic services. This is exacerbated by frequent droughts that pose a threat to livestock, the main source of food and income here.

Contact:

Media: Gershwin Wanneburg, Communication and External Relations Department, African Development Bank, email: g.wanneburg@afdb.org

Technical: Zerfu Tessema, Chief Transport Engineer, z.tessema@afdb.org

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.