- The two-day event brought policy makers, regional leaders and industry experts under one roof to discuss matters infrastructure and transport.
- Some of the projects discussed and thoroughly examined during the 5th Annual East Africa Transport and Infrastructure Conference 2018 was the Standard Gauge Railway with speakers breaking down its commercial viability.
ADVERTISEMENT
How the 5th Annual East Africa Transport and Infrastructure Conference 2018 went down
The two-day event brought policy makers, regional leaders and industry experts under one roof to discuss matters infrastructure and transport.
ADVERTISEMENT
Recommended articles
‘Africa has no option but to develop its infrastructure and transport facilities first in order to realise its close-to-a-decade dream of becoming one market.’ This was the underlying message that marked the 5th Annual East Africa Transport & Infrastructure Conference 2018.
The two-day event brought policy makers, regional leaders and industry experts under one roof to discuss matters infrastructure and transport and suggest solutions to some of Africa’s most pertinent issues such as missing links in the transport industry within the region.
The conference held at Movenpick Hotel and Residence, Nairobi is an annual conference formulated to foster the Transport and Infrastructure development across East Africa thereby increasing intra-African trade and boosting the African economy.
ADVERTISEMENT
The conference boasted of a diverse range of speakers sourced from different markets. It also provided the perfect platform for delegates to examine and borrow some of the world’s best transport solutions such as the use of cable cars, bus rapid transit (BRT) systems and blockchain technology to address Africa’s infrastructure challenges.
One of the speakers, Prof. Lievin Chirhalwirwa, Director, Infrastructure Development and Management at Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) Kenya said Africa needed to invest in developing its infrastructure and transport facilities in order to realise its dream of becoming one.
“It is good Africa wants to become one. To achieve this goal, it needs first to have good roads, good railway lines, operational ports and world-class airports. Otherwise, it will just be talks and nothing will materialise," said Prof Chirhalwirwa.
Early this year, during the 10th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU on the AfCFTA held in Rwanda, 44 African countries signed an agreement to establish the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
ADVERTISEMENT
First adopted in January 2012 during the 18th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU and AfCFTA negotiations launched in 2015, AfCFTA aims to create a single continental market for goods and services, with free movement of business persons and investments, and thus paving way for Africa to become one.
In February, Kenya joined 23 other African countries in adopting a declaration to establish a Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) during the African Union (AU) Assembly held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Some of the projects discussed and thoroughly examined during the 5th Annual East Africa Transport and Infrastructure Conference 2018 was the Standard Gauge Railway with speakers breaking down its commercial viability, challenges it needs to overcome to opportunities the railway line currently on course to connecting the whole of Eastern Africa from Kenya to Congo will usher once complete.
FOLLOW BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA
ADVERTISEMENT
Recommended articles
Africa may just have the lowest level of cyber threats compared to other regions
A look into Kenya’s Shs1.1 billion climate funding from the UK
FCMB: A corporate journey of resilience, evolution, and growth
Congo is spending 22% of its scarce revenue on security - Minister
Another African country is set to get a Russian embassy
Medic West Africa 2024: A resounding success in fostering collaboration and innovation for a brighter healthcare future
10 African countries with the most troubling external debt in 2024
10 African countries with the least soft power influence over the world
