Addis Ababa, May 23, 2022 (FBC) – A delegation headed by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia to Kenya, Meles Alem and representatives of the Governments of Kenya and South Sudan with regards to the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia- Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Project paid a scoping mission to the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) Permanent Secretariat, Kenya Port Authority (KPA) and the Northern Corridor Infrastructure including SGR and the Mariakani Weighbridge in the Coastal Kenyan City of Mombasa from 17-21 May 2022.

As development partners in the LAPSSET Corridor Project, representatives of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and New Partnership for Africa (NEPAD) Kenya were also part of the scoping mission.

During a working visit to the NCTTCA Permanent Secretariat, the delegation was provided with briefings and presentations on the Northern Corridor Agreement and Protocols and specific mandates in implementing the Agreement by the Executive Secretary, Omae Nyarandi and his team.

Ambassador Meles Alem underscored the fact that the Northern Corridor that is adjacent to LAPSSET complements the latter while providing Southern Ethiopia with more port options in the region.

In the same token, the team visited the KPA and other Port Charter Stakeholders at the Port of Mombasa. Ambassador Meles noted that KPA needs to promote the Port of Mombasa in Ethiopian market as it is a landlocked yet most populous country in the region.

He said, Ethiopia and Kenya have jointly inaugurated the Moyale One-Stop-Border-Post, the Moyale-Hawassa Highway, the first three berths of Lamu port, that are part and parcel of LAPSSET and KPA needs to further expedite the untapped Ethiopian market.

He added, KPA should venture into Ethiopia following in the footsteps of Safaricom PLC, KCB and Equity Banks, and KenGen and a country as big as Ethiopia will use both Lamu and Mombasa Ports to serve its people in the South.

Representative of the Managing Director of KPA, Sudi Mwasinago who is General Manager of Cargo Operations, on his part, noted that the Port of Mombasa is not only important to Kenya but also to the region. Mwasinago’s team also gave presentations on Port facilities, the KPA Master Plan, Port Expansion Programmes and the Mombasa Specialized Economic Zone (SEZ) and beyond.

He said, the Ports of Mombasa and Lamu are not competitive rather complement each other and reiterated the need for leveraging the Ethiopian market