HENOK MERHATSIDK 1.pdf - Addis Ababa University

The Ethio-Kenya relations have viewed the Kenyan ports for the use of southern part of
Ethiopia. The two countries coordinating their cooperation along with donors, the Mombasa
– Nairobi – Addis Ababa Road corridor that aims at economic integration between Ethiopia
and Kenya by improving transport and communications between the two countries is
financed by African Development Bank, Ethiopian Government, and Kenyan Government. 21
For the ADB” the road is one of the missing links on the Trans-African-High way Cairo-
Cape town and is one of the key priorities of the New partnership for Africa’s
Development(NEPAD) and part of its short-term action plan for
infrastructure”(ADB,2009:18). Since Ethiopia and Kenya are active members of regional and
continental institutions, they are formulating their economic and political policies in
consistence with the strategies of these institutions. The Horn of African countries are less
involved in ‘intra - COMESA trade boom’ this is attributed to lack of road transport. So the
Mombasa – Nairobi-Addis Ababa Road is the effort of the two countries in accelerating
regional integration and regarding the benefit of the road for Ethiopian access to the sea the
bank explain:
Ethiopia as a landlocked country relies on the neighboring transit countries
for its sea freight, In order to reduce transport cost and improves the
competitiveness of the Ethiopian economy. The government is striving to
diversify its access to sea ports as much as possible. About 20% of the
Ethiopian sea freight traffic originating or destined to southern and south –
Western Ethiopia would normally be attracted to the Mombasa port.
The Djibouti port dominated Ethiopian port use for the past 100 years. Currently 98% of
Ethiopian import/Export trade used port of Djibouti. This monopoly of port service by a
single country needs to be diversified in order to provide different corners of the country to
be linked with nearest, economically profitable and safe port from other neighboring
countries (ADB, 2009:15-30).
Kenya is known for its cooperative manner with Ethiopia not only in peace times, but also, in
difficult times. When Ethiopian ports were blocked by EPLF, Kenya provided its Mombasa
port. Therefore, using Kenyan ports has different rewards, it can strength Ethio – Kenyan
economic relations, Ethiopia could get access to the rest of East African countries. “The
21 Interview with Machani Nathan,First Secretary of Kenyan Mission in Ethiopia on Thursday15/11/2010.
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