Wednesday, May 15, 2024 - Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has made his pitch, revealing his ambition to see Africa connected through a robust infrastructure network.
Speaking during a meeting with Algeria's
Ambassador to Kenya Mahi Boumediene, Raila, who is eyeing the Africa Union
Commission chairperson position, stated that if elected, he will make
River Nile navigable.
According to Raila, one of the
ways that would be achieved is through making the River Nile navigable from
Uganda to the Mediterranean Sea.
As AUC Chairperson, Raila will
have sweeping executive power and a voice on how the Union uses its
infrastructural budget.
Additionally, Raila knows the
transport challenges in Africa having served as the African Union High
Representative for Infrastructure Development from 2018 to 2022.
River Nile, one of the longest
rivers in the world, is not entirely navigable due to outcropping crystalline
rocks that cause huge cataracts.
Sections between the cataracts
are navigable by boats and Raila envisions making the
whole 6,650-kilometre stretch navigable.
Raila stated that Algeria and
Kenya shared a similar armed war for independence and Pan-African ideals
and had similar ideas on how to make the continent great.
He added that while Kenya and
other African countries could savor ending colonialism, there was a need
for something concrete to show the fruits of independence.
“We agreed on the need to leave
Africa's painful past behind and move the continent forward through trade and
transformative infrastructure including Transcontinental railways, Trans Africa
highways, African open skies, and making River Nile navigable from the
Mediterranean Sea,” Raila stated.
Raila already has the
support of East African Community (EAC) countries as well as Ghana, Angola, and Guinea Bissau.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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