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- Feb 11, 2006
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Landlocked Burundi and Rwanda plan to build a 500 km (310 mile) road linking them with neighbouring Tanzania to reduce their overdependence on Kenya's Mombasa port, a minister said on Tuesday.
The two economies suffered greatly when imports through Mombasa were blocked by political violence in Kenya earlier this year. The port on the Indian Ocean is a main gateway into much of eastern Africa.
"This project is of great importance to our economies. The road will largely reduce the cost of our imported merchandise," Burundi Finance Minister Clotilde Nizigama told reporters, adding that it would also ease the coffee grower's exports.
"We hope our partners in development are going to respond positively to our request."
The road is budgeted to cost $688 million and take four years to complete. The two countries have a $100 million grant from the African Development Bank and are seeking the rest from the World Bank, European Union, China and Saudi Arabia.
The two central African nations have also begun a $4 billion project to build a 691 km (430 mile) rail line to connect them to Tanzania. It is expected to be operational by 2012.
Source: Reuters. (Reporting by Patrick Nduwimana, editing by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura)
The two economies suffered greatly when imports through Mombasa were blocked by political violence in Kenya earlier this year. The port on the Indian Ocean is a main gateway into much of eastern Africa.
"This project is of great importance to our economies. The road will largely reduce the cost of our imported merchandise," Burundi Finance Minister Clotilde Nizigama told reporters, adding that it would also ease the coffee grower's exports.
"We hope our partners in development are going to respond positively to our request."
The road is budgeted to cost $688 million and take four years to complete. The two countries have a $100 million grant from the African Development Bank and are seeking the rest from the World Bank, European Union, China and Saudi Arabia.
The two central African nations have also begun a $4 billion project to build a 691 km (430 mile) rail line to connect them to Tanzania. It is expected to be operational by 2012.
Source: Reuters. (Reporting by Patrick Nduwimana, editing by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura)
