Kenya and Ethiopia sign $743m road deal

10 November 2011

Kenya and Ethiopia have signed a deal worth $743 million (£466 million) for the building of a road that will join the two countries.

The Addis Ababa-Nairobi road project, part of the Trans-African Highway corridor, will cover 880 km and is expected to take three years to complete, according to news reports.

An agreement was signed on Monday (November 7th) by Ethiopia's minister of transport, Diriba Kuma, and his Kenyan counterpart, Amos Kimunya in Addis Ababa.

Mr Kuma said that the development showed the countries' commitment to achieving regional economic integration.

He added that "the agreement will further cement our multifaceted, historical and cultural bonds of friendship and cooperation".

The completion of the road would boost "people-to-people interactions and cross border trade," Mr Kimunya noted.

It was recently announced that Japanese firm Toyota has won a contract to build new geothermal energy plants in Kenya, generating much needed electricity for the nation.