From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Wed Apr 01 2009 - 07:09:46 EST
Ethiopia forging road links with Kenya, Sudan
Wed Apr 1, 2009 10:49am GMT
ADDIS ABABA, April 1 (Reuters) - Landlocked Ethiopia is forging better road
links with its neighbours Sudan and Kenya to ease dependence on the Red Sea
port of Djibouti, a government official said on Wednesday.
"The road linkage with Kenya and Sudan would help landlocked Ethiopia export
and import goods through Mombassa and Port Sudan ports at relatively less
cost than Djibouti," said Samson Wondimu, head of public relations at the
Ethiopian Road Authority (ERA).
Ethiopia had to pay an extra $22 million in 2008 on top of the $700 million
it pays annually in port fees to Djibouti. The Red Sea port has served as
Ethiopia's main sea gateway since it lost Assab and Massawa when Eritrea won
independence.
Ethiopian businessmen have appealed to the government to seek alternative,
cheaper routes through which they can export and import goods, according to
the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association.
Samson said Ethiopia had completed preliminary study to asphalt the 310 kms
(194 miles) road linking Hager-Mariam with Moyale, the border town with
Kenya to the south.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has reacted positively to Ethiopia's
$100 million loan request to upgrade the highway to Kenya, Samson said.
The road south from Moyale, however, is unsurfaced for more than 500 kms
until it reaches the Kenyan town of Isiola and is one of the worst highways
in the country. The government has recently begun improving a stretch north
of Isiola.
Ethiopia has already built a modern 880 kms highway linking the capital with
the town of Metema on the northern border with Sudan, he said. This provides
an outlet via Port Sudan.
"This highway serves for the export of Ethiopia's oil seeds and for the
import of fuel," he said.
Samson said Ethiopia has also completed construction of a highway linking
Somaliland's port of Berbera with eastern Ethiopia. Berbera port is being
used for the import of food aid as well as other imported goods.
The nation's roads have suffered decades of neglect but the government has
said the network's expansion is a top priority, Crumbling or overloaded
infrastructure is seen as an obstacle to economic development in many
African countries. ($1=8.693 Birr) (Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse; Editing by
Victoria Main)
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