Skip to main content

East Africa’s massive infrastructure development programme

A massive programme of infrastructure development is planned for East Africa that will help develop transport links and boost economic development. The projects will be implemented in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda. Roads and highways will be built and upgraded while new port facilities will be built. Also included in the programme will be an oil pipeline, rail links and fibre-optic cable installation. In all the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project for East Africa wi
September 23, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
A massive programme of infrastructure development is planned for East Africa that will help develop transport links and boost economic development. The projects will be implemented in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda. Roads and highways will be built and upgraded while new port facilities will be built. Also included in the programme will be an oil pipeline, rail links and fibre-optic cable installation. In all the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project for East Africa will cost in the region of US$24.7 billion.

The plans also call for the transport corridor to stretch right across the continent, connecting to the West Africa. The transport links would run to the cities of Douala-Lagos-Cotonou-Abidjan Corridor and given Nigeria’s economic strength amongst the West African nations in particular, this would be of enormous economic benefit to Africa as a whole.

The programme has received both regional and international support and was discussed in detail at the 2015 African Union general assembly.

One of the projects involves developing port facilities at Lamu in Kenya, with the work being carried out by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC). This $479 million project will relieve the strain that Kenya’s port of Mombasa currently faces in that its existing facilities are running close to capacity.

Related Content

  • Riga Northern Transport Corridor
    February 14, 2012
    The Riga Northern Transport Corridor is an ambitious transport E1.5 billion infrastructure development project involving a new 30km long inner city highway. Its aim is to provide a fast connection between the east and west of Riga City and integrate the city and Riga port into the Trans-European road network. It will include another major new crossing of the Daugava River which is 420m wide at this point. The project will lead to a substantial improvement of transport efficiency in the Riga region and will
  • Egypt’s canal tunnel project
    May 16, 2018
    Major progress is being achieved on Egypt’s key tunnel project, a link that runs underneath the Suez Canal.
  • US$19.4 billion for Thailand’s transport development
    February 15, 2024
    A US$19.4 billion plan is being set for Thailand’s transport development programme.
  • Europe-Asia road link
    February 9, 2017
    The governments of China, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia have finally approved a project for the building of a new transcontinental road, which will connect Asia and Europe. The new route is much-needed and will speed the transportation of cargo between the two continents, according to Maxim Sokolov, Russia’s Minister of Transport. The idea for the building of the road was first proposed by the European Commission around 2005. It was prompted by the ever growing volume of trade between the EU and Chin