Dec 09, 2020(Nyamilepedia) — President Uhuru Kenyatta and visiting Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed today inaugurated the Moyale One-Stop Border Post.
The two leaders also inaugurated the 500-kilometer Hawassa-Hagere Mariam-Moyale Road which is part of the Trans African Highway and a key segment of Mombasa-Nairobi-Addis Ababa transport corridor.
Speaking to Moyale, President Kenyatta said that the completion of the border shows the political good will by the two countries to address the challenges of business between the two countries.
“Indeed, with the completion of this border post the two countries have demonstrated the political goodwill to address the challenges and impediments facing businesses from both sides’” Kenyatta said.
Kenyatta encouraged the residents to utilize the border through trade and other economic activities.
“In addition to facilitating trade between the two countries, the border post will also enhance mutual interactions among our people and create synergy and unity of purpose,” the President said.
He said the region has huge untapped potential for trade and investment, and encouraged the local business communities to capitalize on the OSBP to boost trade and investments across the border.
“We want to see Moyale becoming the Dubai of this whole region, people coming here to buy goods and taking them to other countries. That is the beginning of true partnership, true cooperation,” the President said.
President Kenyatta said that the two countries must work together to establish economic ties as well as weed out the people who threaten the security of both Kenya and Ethiopia.
Ethiopia Prime minister Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed, who spoke during meetings on both sides of the border, said the new Moyale OSBP will help expedite movement of goods and persons across the Kenya-Ethiopia border.
He said the new border will bring the two families and other business opportunities together.
“This artificial border, in my opinion, will be dismantled with the new infrastructure. The new infrastructure will bring the two families together and tap the potential and opportunities of business and economy,” Dr Abiy said.
He added that Kenya and Ethiopia will continue working together on infrastructure and in maintenance of peace and security along the border region.
“Just as in infrastructure, we will work on peace and security of this area because peace is the foundation of everything we aspire to transform the lives of these people. If we work together as Governments to eliminate Alshabab and OLF from this region you will see how the lives of these people will be transformed,” Dr Abiy said.
After the visit to the border post, President Kenyatta and Prime Minister Ahmed who is in Kenya for a two days state visit will head to Lamu County to inspect ongoing construction of the new Lamu Port, an anchor project of the Lapsset infrastructural undertaking.
The two heads of states were also joined by the former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, who took it to social media saying that the LAPSSET program will connect East, West and Central African countries.
“I joined President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ethiopian PM Dr. Abiy Ahmed on a tour of the Lamu Port.” Former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga said.
“The LAPSSET Program is Eastern Africa’s new frontier transcontinental corridor seeking to connect the eastern and western-central Africa deep-sea ports of Lamu and Douala in Cameroon.” Odinga continued.
