NAIROBI, June 25 (Xinhua) -- East African ministers responsible for regional affairs on Monday praised Kenya's Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), saying it has not only helped ease the cost of doing business in the region but also set an example on the transformation an investment of that nature can bring about.
John Luk Jok, the South Sudan Minister of Transport and Roads, said there is great progress in the Northern Corridor improvement process, noting that the issue of financing however remains the biggest challenge.
"We have seen the reality of success in Kenya through the implementation of the SGR. It gives us great appreciation of the potential of such projects to ease the movement of people and goods," Jok said in Nairobi during the two-day 14th Summit on the Northern Corridor Integration Projects.
The Northern Corridor is a multimodal trade route linking the landlocked countries of the Great Lakes Region with the Kenyan sea port of Mombasa.
"Although some members have made significant progress in implementing their side of the projects, others are facing a lot of challenges in fund-raising. South Sudan is the youngest member and has been grabbling with this problem. But we shall do our best to implement our obligations," he added.
Peter Munya, Kenya's cabinet secretary for East African Community, and Northern Corridor Development said Standard Gauge Railway has helped improve trade within the EAC.
"It has hastened the time and reduced the cost of transporting goods. It has eased pressure on our roads," said Munya.
He said the railway line is enabling manufacturers to set up factories across various towns served by the railway line because it is easy to load manufactured goods and offload raw materials.
Munya said the second phase of SGR will be completed in June 2019 as directed by Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta.
He called on the EAC members to ensure that they increase their speed in implementing regional issues to enable people of the region see the benefits of integration.
"Our people have very high expectations. They expect a powerful economic bloc able to negotiate beneficial trade agreements with other regional trade bodies. They expect an expanded market for goods and services and a secure and peaceful environment for doing business," Munya said.
Sam Kutesa, Uganda Minister of Foreign Affairs, called for efficiency in completion of the northern corridor projects. "Our biggest challenge remains follow-up and monitoring of the implementation of these projects," he said.