Addis Ababa: Countries in the east African region should support and cooperate with Ethiopia since the country’s quest for access to seaport is a genuine move to maximize mutual growth, said Ethiopian ambassador to Tanzania.
Speaking to ENA, Ethiopian Special Envoy and Plenipotentiary to Tanzania Ambassador Shibru Mamo said that the Recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Ethiopia and Somaliland is a landmark and a practical response for cooperation and mutual development.
On January 1, 2024; Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inked a historic MoU in Addis Ababa with the President of Somaliland Muse Bihe Abdi). The MoU for Partnership and Cooperation, between Ethiopia and Somaliland, is intended to serve as a framework for the multisectoral partnership between the two sides.
The deal is also believed to pave the way to realize the aspiration of Ethiopia to secure access to the sea and diversify its access to seaports.
Ambassador Shibru added the MoU is also a remarkable diplomatic success story tha
t the Ethiopian government has achieved under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Moreover, the accord would allow Ethiopia to utilize the seaport from the Red Sea, one of the most strategic world trade routes.
The ambassador also expressed belief that Ethiopia’s access to seaport will significantly contribute to develop cooperatively and in solidarity with countries in the region.
‘The biggest thing is that a MoU between Ethiopia and Somaliland would promote the principle of cooperation. This is also aligned with the international rules for access to coastline. On the other hand, this agreement can ensure the economic benefit of Somaliland and allow it to have a proportional share from Ethiopia,’ Shibiru stated.
Beyond accelerating Ethiopia’s growth by increasing its import-export trade, the ambassador is convinced that the deal will gradually change the political, economic and security situation in the region for the better.
According to him, access for additional ports for Ethiopia is crucial
in order to properly accommodate its ever growing economy and population.
In this regard, countries in the region should understand the real challenges of Ethiopia as well as its peaceful approach by supporting its endeavor in getting access to port, citing Tanzania for sharing its ports to its neighboring countries for mutual benefits.
Tanzania, which has eight neighboring countries and seven ports, created a favorable environment around its ports by constructing massive infrastructure in railway and other dry transport, he indicated.
With this, the Tanzanian government has not only donated about 20 hectares of port to Zambia, but also allowed Zambian goods to stay at the port for 45 days without fee, he said.
Therefore, he said, Ethiopia’s neighboring countries should follow Tanzania’s footsteps in this regard to reinforce mutual development for the betterment of the east African region
Source: Ethiopian News Agency
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Dr. Alfred Mutua pledged to turn around the tourism sector in the country and make it the country’s top foreign exchange earner.
Speaking at a Malindi hotel during a tourism stakeholder engagement, Dr. Mutua said his ministry had a plan to revamp the tourism infrastructure in order to attract domestic and foreign tourists, with a special focus on the African tourism market.
He encouraged tourism players not to be discouraged by the current state of affairs and instead invest more into the sector, saying he was optimistic that the future of tourism in the country, and especially at the Coast, was very bright.
‘I am very enthusiastic because the future is very bright. I am here to tell you that if you are thinking of closing your hotel and you want to sell it, let me know so that I can buy it from you because I know I will make a lot of money very soon since we are turning around this industry,’ he said.
‘Tourism used to be the top foreign exchange earner and I can promise you tha
t I will, by God’s grace, be able to bring it to be the number one forex earner in Kenya,’ he added.
He said to achieve this feat, the country needs to increase the numbers of tourists and promote high value tourism, which he noted would be possible if the government and stakeholders provided the infrastructure, systems, services, opportunities and circuits of extremely high value.
He said his plan is to make the Coast region the top entertainment and relaxation zone in Africa, even as he also works to improve tourism across the country, adding that the efforts the strategies being put in place would ensure tourist numbers go up.
‘It is going to be the Miami of Africa. We want to transform this region into the Riviera of Africa so that people can fly from West Africa, Cuba, Slovakia, Germany, South Africa, Angola… and come here to relax, enjoy and leave their money with us so that our hotels will be full from January to January without a low season,’ he said.
The CS said his ministry would initiate projec
ts that would bring changes within two months, noting that he had already allocated funds to start work in Malindi, Watamu, Mombasa and Kwale among other areas.
‘We have a big plan. In Mombasa we want to build an aquarium because we do not have an aquarium in this part of the world. Over here, we have already awarded a contract for the construction of a marine research centre that will have another mini aquarium right here in Malindi,’ he said.
He said his ministry was in talks with the Ministry of Transport to get direct flights from Kigali to Malindi as the government thinks about the long-term plan of extending the runway at the Malindi International Airport.
Dr. Mutua said Kilifi County, and in particular Malindi, had the potential of making the Coast region a great tourist hub in Africa and that was why the National Government had opted to invest money and programmes to revive the once vibrant sector.
‘I want all the hotels in Malindi to be fully occupied by tourists, but to do this we must invest in
the improvement of facilities such as lighting, build cabro roads, clean the town in order to have high-value tourism so as to attract many tourists here,’ he said.
He asked the tourism stakeholders to give him the specific areas they would like the government to improve and assured them that he would work on their recommendations so that works could start by the end of Match.
Kilifi County Executive Committee Member in charge of Tourism said the county administration had started mapping our old and new tourist attractions in the county and marketing the sites, that include the 356-kilometer beach.
She said the county government in conjunction with the national government were exploring the possibility of building a natural port at Takaungu to encourage cruise tourism.
Stakeholders who spoke during the one-day event lauded the CS for his bold moves and called for an improvement in relevant infrastructure to be able to attract more tourists and bring Malindi back to its former glory.
They called for the s
peedy extension of the main runway at the Malindi International Airport, clean Malindi and Watamu towns, clean the beaches and install street lights to improve security, build toilets on the beaches as well as ensure tourist police officers are better equipped.
The stakeholders also called for the establishment of iconic sites that would distinguish Malindi from other tourist destinations as well as improve the signage.
They further urged the government to make the Arabuko-Sokoke a better tourist attraction by increasing wild animals and give foreign house owners permanent resident visas so they could visit the country more often.
Source: Kenya News Agency