This archive report was first published on 2 July 2019.
Kenya and South Sudan have strengthened their trade ties through several agreements, including a trade expo in Juba and the allocation of land for a dry port in Naivasha.
On July 2, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta and his South Sudanese counterpart, Salva Kiir, announced the agreements at State House in Nairobi after bilateral talks.
As part of the agreements, Kenya will hold a trade expo in Juba in November, showcasing Kenyan products and exposing South Sudan's products to Kenyan business people.
The expo is seen as a show of confidence in South Sudan's economy and aims to deepen trade ties between the two neighboring nations.
Kenya has also agreed to allocate land for a dry port to South Sudan at the Naivasha Special Economic Zone and for a logistics hub near the new Lamu Port.
President Kenyatta assured South Sudan that Kenya is speeding up the completion of the Lapsset Corridor projects, including transnational highways, oil pipeline, and the Lamu Port, to link the two countries.
The President said the first berth of the Lamu Port will be ready in August, while Berths 2 and 3 are expected to be completed within the year 2020.
Kenya and South Sudan have also agreed to set up a joint border commission for the management of the common border between the two East African nations.
The two leaders also initiated efforts to guide amicable resolution of disputes that may arise over the shared border and announced that a ministerial team has concluded an MoU on delimitation and demarcation of common borders.
