Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)
Nairobi, KENYA
THE Board of the African Development Bank Group has approved financing the construction of an interim terminal at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the tune of US$ 27.1 million as part of the emergency recovery measures undertaken by the Government of Kenya following the fire accident at the airport, which took place on 7 August 2013.
According to AfDB’s Regional Director for the Eastern Africa Resource Center, Mr. Gabriel Negatu, the financing is part of savings made from recently completed Bank-financed projects financed under the Bank’s concessionary window, Africa Development Fund; it is not a new loan.
“The interim terminal will be a 10,000 Square meters facility and will have a capacity to handle annual traffic of 2.5 million for international and domestic arriving and departing passengers. The total cost of the project is US$ 27.6million. The Kenya Government will finance the difference. ” Mr. Negatu explained.
In addition to the loan, AfDB also approved on September 30th a US$1 million grant to enhance security at the regional airport. The grant, which will be used to purchase and install security screening equipment at the airport, has been provided as an emergency assistance support under the Bank’s Special Relief Fund. The grant will be disbursed in one tranche. The equipment to be acquired under this grant are: 8 Walk Through Metal Detectors, 8 Check in X-Ray Machines and 9 Cabin X-Ray Machines.
AfDB’s Regional Director for the Eastern Africa Resource Center, Mr. Gabriel Negatu confirms that the security enhancement project will be implemented within the next 6 months.
He added: “JKIA’s status as a regional aviation and economic hub of East Africa will be undermined by such situations as passenger inconveniences, inefficient operations and congestion. The Bank’s supports, in addition to restoring the service level, will also help to bridge the capacity gap until the expansion projects are completed in 2017,”
On average, JKIA handles more than six (6) million passenger traffic and about 300,000 tons of cargo traffic annually. The airport has scheduled flights to over 50 countries.
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