Saturday, December 14, 2024 - President William Ruto has announced plans to extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a move aimed at bolstering regional trade and investment.
Speaking during the opening of
the East Africa Community (EAC) Inter-Parliamentary Games in Mombasa, Ruto
emphasized the importance of this infrastructure expansion for regional
integration.
He stated that the SGR extension
will facilitate easier transportation across borders, enhancing connectivity
among East African nations.
“We have now agreed with Uganda,
Rwanda, and DRC that the Standard Gauge Railway will be extended from Naivasha
to Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC so that we both can use the SGR whenever we are
going to these places,” Ruto said.
“These pieces of infrastructure
are important for the integration of our region.”
According to Ruto, SGR’s
extension is expected to significantly boost intra-regional trade, which
currently stands at 28 percent, while contributing to the broader goals of
economic integration within the East African Community.
He highlighted that this
move could lay the foundation for the integration of the entire African
continent under the proposed African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Already, Uganda has launched
ground operations for the construction of the SGR, with the first phase of the
project set to begin with a 272 km stretch from Malaba to Kampala.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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