NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 9 – The World Bank has approved Sh81.3 billion loan to Kenya for the upgrade of the 750-kilometre Isiolo-Mandera road and the laying of the fibre-optic cable.
Kenya’s World Bank Country Director Keith Hansen said the upgrade is aimed towards improving the movement of people and goods, digital connectivity and access to social services for over 3.2 million people living in the North-Eastern region where the Isiolo-Mandera Regional Road Corridor traverses.
“The World Bank will finance the upgrading of 365 kilometers of the 740-kilometers Isiolo-Mandera Regional Road Corridor and 30km of spur roads, while the upgrading of the remaining sections will be financed by other development partners,” he said in a statement.
The loan will finance the scheme dubbed the Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project (HoAGDP) which will help in the laying of a fiber optic cable along the entire 740-kilometer corridor with spurs to local communities.
Hansen noted that the upgraded road, the fiber optic connections, and the provision of basic social services will attract investments, facilitate regional and domestic trade, create jobs, and improve information sharing and access to internet-based opportunities.
“Promoting equal opportunities across the country and linkages in the subregion will strengthen Kenya’s transformation from a low middle income to a middle-income country by 2030,” he said.
He added, “We believe that this investment, envisioned as a backbone project under the North and North Eastern Development Initiative, will contribute significantly to the Government’s efforts to ensure shared prosperity.”
The Kenya-HoAGDP is expected to take 6 years of implementation. The project is the first in a series of projects aimed at supporting the development of regional transport corridors and modal linkages under the Horn of Africa Initiative.
The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives.
IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 76 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa.
Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.6 billion people who live in IDA countries.
