Kenya reaps real BRI dividends

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African country benefits from modern infrastructure, improved regional competitiveness

The Belt and Road Initiative has transformed Kenya's infrastructure development, injected vitality into its economic growth and improved the country's regional competitiveness, according to latest analysis.

Thanks to the initiative, which is celebrating 10 years since its establishment, Kenya boasts modern infrastructure like railways, roads, ports, airports and digital connectivity, experts said.

Cavince Adhere, a scholar of international relations with a focus on China-Africa relations, said BRI projects in the transportation, communication and financial sectors have contributed to making Kenya a more formidable economic hub in the East African region.

He said the Standard Gauge Railway, which connects the capital Nairobi with Mombasa, the largest port city in Kenya, has provided a major link for many traders.

Mombasa port serves 80 percent of regional trade and is the gateway and exit point for cargo for a vast hinterland covering Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Somalia.

Lamu port is similarly growing as a transshipment hub as it leverages cargo destined for other African countries — offloaded at the port and taken up by ships that are doing the final leg, Adhere said.