Kenya, Ethiopia seek increased trade volumes at Moyale border

President Uhuru Kenyatta and visiting Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Mohammed have committed to increasing cross border trade collaborations between the two countries with the completion of the Moyale One-Stop Border Post.

Speaking during the tour of the facility that saw the two leaders address stakeholders on either side of the border, President Kenyatta said the project will be a key economic driver in the region as well as create jobs for the youth of the two countries.

“What we want is to see a deepening of the integration between the two countries and the people living at the border have a central role to play to strengthen that partnership,” said President Kenyatta.

The completion of the border post is expected to ease the movement of goods and services between the two countries with Moyale now backed to become a key trade hub in the region.

The Ethiopian premier on the other hand noted the importance of the facility to help exploit untapped trade opportunities between the two countries.

“The artificial border that exists between Kenya and Ethiopia will be dismantled with the new infrastructure. The project will tap a lot of opportunities on trade, business, and other social aspects including tourism,” said PM Dr. Abiy.

The project is further tipped to help drive regional integration with other EAC countries as well as address insecurity challenges faced by Kenya and Ethiopia.

Kenya exports to Ethiopia surged by Kshs 500 million last year to hit Kshs. 7.1 billion.

The two leaders will now head to Lamu County to assess the progress of the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport corridor.