Numerous delays continue to hamper progress in what the African Development Bank (Af DB) describes as “the single largest, integrated, transformative, and game-changer infrastructure project in Africa – the LAPSSET Corridor”.Launched in March 2002, it is a regional infrastructure project aimed at stimulating regional economic growth by connecting Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan through a network of ports, highways, railways, pipelines, airports, and resort cities.Infrastructure projects include the construction of 23 berths in Lamu port, the building of a 3 000-kilometre rail line linking Lamu Port (Kenya) with Juba (South Sudan) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), around 2 800km of highways, 820km of oil pipeline, three international airports, the establishment of special economic zones and the upgrading of power, water and data supply. The corridor also forms part of an envisioned “land bridge” connecting the west and east coasts through the ports of Lamu in Kenya to Douala in Cameroon via Juba in South Sudan and Bangui in the Central African Republic. Issues identified in Af DB progress reports include payment delays, legal issues due to the different jurisdictions involved, and insufficient planning. Not mentioned is the ongoing civil war in South Sudan, resulting in a humanitarian crisis, political unrest in Kenya, as well as instability in its northern region and ongoing conf lict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Despite these challenges, in August the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) of the LAPSSET Corridor Program held its second meeting. “A key focus of the meeting was the review and validation of a proposed Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) to streamline the development process of the LAPSSET Corridor, a vital infrastructure project aimed at boosting regional integration and economic development,” according to a media statement.Lado Tombe, director general of the South Sudan safety authority, announced that the World Bank had agreed to fund the engineering design and construction of the 352km road linking Nadapal in Kenya and Juba in South Sudan, marking a significant milestone for the project. Other wins for the corridor include the opening of a one-stop border post at Moyale on the Kenya-Ethiopia crossing in December 2020, the commissioning of the first berths in the Port of Lamu and the Isiolo airport in Meru County, Kenya, and the paving of the 257km dual carriageway between Lamu and Garissa. The LAPSSET Corridor Development Authority (LCDA) is inviting private sector investment to speed up development. “The LAPSSET Corridor will be opening up 70% of Kenya for economic activities as well as connecting her to her neighbours, Ethiopia and South Sudan, for trade. “This means that the opportunity for private investment and business will be immense across the three countries, and therefore the LAPSSET Corridor Development Authority encourages both local and foreign investors to move into the corridor and take advantage of these opportunities,” it states on its website.Opportunities identified by the LCDA in the three countries include fishing, livestock farming, leather, sugarcane, banking, insurance, mining (coal, copper, iron ore, chrome, zinc, tungsten, mica and gold), retail, wholesale, vehicle and construction equipment assembly, agro processing, and trade and logistics. ER
