Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The EU is financing an electric bus line — Bus Rapid Transit Line— in Nairobi, Kenya, as part of its Global Gateway investment to boost green mobility.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of Kenya, William Ruto, met in Brussels, on March 29, to discuss the partnership between the EU and Kenya, including opportunities to drive the green and digital transition in the African country under the Global Gateway.
The partnership for the electric bus line construction was officialised in a declaration of intention by Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen and Cabinet Secretary for Transport Cooperation Kipchumba Murkomen and the project is expected to be operational in 2030.
“This is an important milestone in our partnership with Kenya to invest in green and sustainable mobility. The project is a tangible deliverable of our positive and sustainable offer to partners, the Global Gateway strategy, and its transformative impact in Africa,” said Urpilainen.
The Bus Rapid Transit Line is fully designed with European expertise, funded by a consortium of European partners, including the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and has a strong focus on social and environmental standards.
“Promoting mass rapid transit will help cut commuting time, curb pollution, reduce traffic accidents and increase travellers’ safety. Buses will run on green renewable electricity produced in Kenya,” stated the Commission.
Funding
The project will cost a total of €347.6 million, including €45 million in grants from the EU budget, the Commission said. The European Investment Bank and the French Development Agency AFD jointly are also supporting the project with €236.3 million.
On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the EU, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) will also provide technical assistance to the project’s implementation. Similarly, the Kenyan Government is contributing on its side with €66.3 million.
Agriculture
While the new electric bus line is meant to transport up to 300,000 daily commuters through the most congested areas of Nairobi, much more attention is needed to other realities in need, such as agriculture in Africa and local solutions to broken food systems, Caritas Europa and Caritas Africa noted.
“It is unclear whether this investment package [Global Gateway] of the world’s largest aid donor will trickle down within African communities, reaching those needing it the most,” wrote Luisa Fondello, international cooperation officer at Caritas Europa and Lucy Esipila, policy and advocacy officer at Caritas Africa, for EUobserver.
The duo argues that the Global Gateway can only reach those in need “if pledges are fulfilled”, notably by upscaling political support and financing to agroecological approaches like smallholder farmers, boosting domestic food production.