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Chinese to power Kenya’s Silicon Savannah dream
KENYA
CHINA Aerospace Construction Group has launched the construction of the 40-km, 400- kVA Konza-Isinya Transmission Line Project in Kenya, which will serve the emerge Konza Tech- nopolis industrial area sound of Nairobi.
The project is being financed by China Export Credit Insurance Corp. (Sinosure) and China Exim Bank, and forms part of China’s backing of industrial and technological infrastructure in Kenya. Konza Technopolis is one of Kenya’s Vision 2030 flagship projects that aim to trans- formthecountryintoaSiliconSavannah.
Li Naihong, deputy general manager China Aerospace Construction Group, said the com- pany would deliver a quality project within time and budget, incorporating its values and respect- ing Kenya’s local culture and environmental protection.
“The construction of this new facility in Konza demonstrates our dedication to human life, and commitment to creating tailored solu- tions that make the greatest difference to our cli- ent, Kenya Electricity Transmission Company, as wellasthepowertransmissionsysteminKenya,” Li told a ceremony last week.
The customer for the project is state-owned transmission system operator (TSO) Ketraco.
Zhao Xiyuan, minister counsellor at the Chi- nese Embassy in Kenya, said the power sector was one of the Big Four Agenda advanced by President Uhuru Kenyatta as a priority develop- ment task.
“A secured power supply provides the devel- opment of manufacturing. Konza Technopolis, the Silicon Savannah planned and marketed by the Kenya government, will contribute tremendously to the country’s technological
development,” he said.
“We are pleased that the Kenyatta govern-
ment is making unremitting endeavours to this end,” he said. “The Chinese government is com- mitted as usual to supporting Kenya in develop- ing technology and realising industrialisation.”
Charles Keter, Cabinet Secretary at the Ken- yan Ministry for Energy, noted that reliable power supply was the biggest enabler of the Big Four Agenda.
“Access to electricity in 2013 was about 29%. Currentlyitstandsat75%,”hesaid.
China has major interests in Kenya’s infra- structure, funding the Standard Gauge Railway and also providing loans for the $2bn Lamu coal-to-power project, which is currently frozen in legal limbo.
Chinese lending to sub-Saharan Africa grew to more than $10bn per year between 2012 and 2017, up from less than $1bn in 2001, data from Moody’s said.
China has used various global forums and projects, such as the BRI, the Forum on Chi- na-Africa Co-operation and agreements with the African Union, to showcase its offering of loans and technology with few strings attached.
Figures from the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation show that China pledged $60bn to Africa in 2018, of which $20bn was in credit lines and $15mn in interest-free loans and aid grants.
The biggest recipients of African investment between 2000 and 2017 were Angola with 30%, Ethiopia with 10% and Kenya with 7%.
Kenya’s debt to China now stands at $7.3bn, with China now accounting for 72% of the coun- try’s bilateral debt, Kenyan government figures show.™
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w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m Week 46 21•November•2019