Kenya: Loan for new airport approved

The World Bank had approved a $203.5 million (R2.2 billion) loan to Kenya to fund its transport sector, the bank said yesterday. Part of the loan would help finance reconstruction at the country’s main airport, a major regional air hub that was damaged by fire. In August, a fire destroyed sections of Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, forcing the suspension of international passenger flights and blocking a vital thoroughfare for travel to and from east Africa. Airlines resumed normal flights within days, but the extensive fire damage forced the government to set up a temporary passenger terminal. The World Bank said some of the money would also be used to complete the expansion of two key road networks that connect Kenya, east Africa’s biggest economy, to neighbouring countries. – Reuters