Date Posted: 1/31/2013 8:01:45 AM
Posted By: SimonMburu Membership Level: Silver Total Points: 838
LAPSSET (Lamu Port and South Sudan Ethiopia Transport) corridor project was conceived in 1975 but never took off due to some inexplicable reasons. The project was supposed to be East Africa's light to economic growth and this is the reason why it was later included in Kenya's vision 2030. In 2009 the project was estimated to cost $16 billion but now the estimate has risen to $23 billion due to world's economic hard times. The world bank has funded the feasibility study and design of the transport corridor while Kenya has set aside Kshs.2 billion for the construction of three berths.The project involves the following components:1. A port at Manda bay. This port is anticipated to host ships from Europe, Asia and other continents for shipping imports into the region and exports out of the region. The port will also be the biggest in East Africa.2. A standard gauge railway. This railway network is anticipated to cover Southern Sudan's town of Juba and Kenya's Lamu a distance of 1720 kilometers by 2015. The railway line will have at least five trains moving at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour on daily basis.3. Oil pipelines. The pipelines will run between South Sudan and Ethiopia enabling Sudan to export its black gold to the rest of the world.Other components will include airports and depot stations in the towns of Isiolo and Juba.Although the project will take decades and billions of shillings to complete, the region will reap vast benefits. Below are the major benefits.1. Increase in Gross Domestic Production. The GDP of East African states will increase by a large percentage therefore improving the standards of living of the inhabitants.2. Competitiveness in global maritime trade. Maritime trade will also improve thanks to the big ports where ships from the whole world will be able to offload their cargo.3. Opening of landlocked countries. The project will open up the doors of trade for landlocked countries like South Sudan, Uganda and the republic of Congo.4. Create employment. Both large scale and small scale sectors will create vast employment opportunities therefore eliminating the economic problem of unemployment.5. Linkage of East and Central African region.The project will boost social and cultural interaction between East and Central Africa. This will also help calm down the political hostility in some parts of the region.The East African region will be a very big financial hub once the project is completed.
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