Kenya, Ethiopia Leaders Inaugurate One-Stop Border Post in Moyale
ADDIS ABEBA – Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta have called for peace and co-existence among the border communities as they inaugurate a One-Stop Border Post in Moyale.They said the communities have for years continued to coexist, as brothers and sisters.
“What we need Prime Minister, therefore, is to encourage them to continue working together, maintaining peace and security for this is the surest way that they can reach the maximum benefit of the excellent relationship between two nations,” Uhuru said.
Abiy, who is in Kenya for a two-day state visit, and Uhuru spoke in Moyale during the official opening of the One-Stop Border Post which is expected to facilitate trade between the two countries by cutting down inefficiencies.
Uhuru said the aim of his administration is to see Moyale elevated into a Dubai like city to serve the region. But non-tariff barriers have remained a big challenge on the economic front and there is a need to address it as a matter of urgency, he said.
“And in this regard, my government is committed to continuing working with yours in developing mechanisms towards the elimination of these barriers making the two countries model and promoting bilateral trade and investment,” Uhuru said.
Uhuru said the two countries, in addition to facilitating trade, will also enhance mutual interactions among people and create synergy, as well as the unity of purpose.
Prime Minister Abiy in his remarks said a time has come for the two countries to forge towards perfecting cross-border and institutional collaboration guided by the spirit of cooperation for mutual growth of its citizens.
“Launching such collaboration is a historical moment of utmost significance. The success of these projects will be measured by how effectively we have risen in our costs of institutions. It will also be measured by how much we have been able to seamlessly trade between Ethiopia and Kenya,” Abiy said.
Abiy said the post will play a key role in reducing the time taken and costs incurred to clear goods across the borders.
The two leaders also inaugurated the Hawassa-Moyale 500km asphalt road, which is the Ethiopia component of the Cape to Cairo Trans – Africa highway.
Together with the one stop border post infrastructural investment, both aim to boost Ethiopia-Kenya trade ties, the Prime Minister office said.
Source:ethiopianmonitor.com/
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