Qatar to grow crops in Kenya
Qatar is hoping to grow crops in north-east Kenya. The Gulf state, made up mostly of barren desert, has asked Kenya to lease 40,000 hectares of land. In return it will fund a port on the tourist island of Lamu costing 3.5 billion US Dollars.
A spokesman for Kenyan president, Mwai Kibaki, said Kenyans have to make concessions if they want people to invest in their country. Kenya hopes building docks in Lamu will open a new trade route that will give landlocked Ethiopia and southern Sudan access to the Indian Ocean. Construction of the port will start in 2010 if the financing is agreed.
Source: Panos London