Kenya Courts UAE for Standard Gauge Railway Extension – Africa.com
Kenyan President William Ruto has sought financial support from the United Arab Emirates to extend Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Uganda and South Sudan to boost regional trade and integration. Ruto presented the project’s feasibility study during talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. The move marks Nairobi’s end of its dependence on Chinese financing, as China financed the initial construction of the standard railway. During his visit, Ruto signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Kenya and the United Arab Emirates, the first such agreement with an African country. The agreement will boost trade between the UAE and Kenya by opening the UAE market to Kenyan goods. The UAE has become Kenya’s sixth largest export destination and second largest source of imports. However, the agreement will solidify Kenya’s position as the gateway to East and Southern Africa.
source: kenyans.com