Arnold mrass cannambo
JF-Expert Member
- Apr 13, 2018
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Ethiopia, landlocked since the secession of Eritrea a quarter century ago, may consider building a naval base in neighboring Kenya to strengthen its military capabilities, the head of the state shipping company said.
The facility could form part of a port the Kenyan government is building at Lamu, said Roba Megerssa Akawak, chief executive officer of the state-owned Ethiopian Shipping & Logistics Services Enterprise. The 390 billion-shilling ($3.87 billion) harbor near the border with Somalia is part of the so-called Lapsset project, a transport corridor that envisions linking Ethiopia and South Sudan to Kenya.
Information Minister Ahmed Shide said he was unaware of any discussions between the two countries, Ethiopia’s interest in Lamu is mainly economic and that Roba isn’t in a position to have knowledge about talks with Kenya’s government. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s call last month for the establishment of a naval force was “a future possibility,” the information minister said. “We can only give information when we know the future plan.”
Abiy secured an agreement with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta last month to develop land at Lamu for “logistical facilitation.” The country relies on Djibouti and Sudan for access to the sea.
The facility could form part of a port the Kenyan government is building at Lamu, said Roba Megerssa Akawak, chief executive officer of the state-owned Ethiopian Shipping & Logistics Services Enterprise. The 390 billion-shilling ($3.87 billion) harbor near the border with Somalia is part of the so-called Lapsset project, a transport corridor that envisions linking Ethiopia and South Sudan to Kenya.
Information Minister Ahmed Shide said he was unaware of any discussions between the two countries, Ethiopia’s interest in Lamu is mainly economic and that Roba isn’t in a position to have knowledge about talks with Kenya’s government. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s call last month for the establishment of a naval force was “a future possibility,” the information minister said. “We can only give information when we know the future plan.”
Abiy secured an agreement with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta last month to develop land at Lamu for “logistical facilitation.” The country relies on Djibouti and Sudan for access to the sea.
