This archive report was first published on 15 December 2019.
On December 15, 2019, the African Development Bank (AfDB) announced a €345 million financing package for road construction in Kenya and Tanzania, representing 78.5% of the total €399.7 million project cost.
The project aims to improve transportation links between the two countries, with the European Union contributing a grant of €30 million to support the Mombasa-Lunga Lunga/Horohoro road in Kenya.
The funds will also fund phase I of the Tanga-Pangani-Bagamoyo road in Tanzania, involving the construction of 175 km of road sections, including the Mkanga-Pangani road section and the Mombasa-Kilifi road section.
The project will link the ports of Dar es Salaam, Tanga, and Mombasa, stimulating the blue economy in coastal areas and benefiting producers, manufacturers, and traders in the East African transport corridors network.
Additionally, the project includes a vocational training component for 500 unemployed youth, half of whom are women, to acquire marketable skills and improve their economic prospects.
Landlocked countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and South Sudan will also benefit from the project, as they depend on Mombasa as a gateway to global markets.
