WRITTEN BY: FELICITY STREDDER | 07/09/2016
The construction of a new cargo handling centre at Moi International Airport in Mombasa began on September 1.
The new facility, to be called the GN Cargo Service Centre, will cost an estimated Sh400m to construct and 18 months to complete, according to the executive director for GN Cargo, Abdishakur Jama. The centre will have the capacity to store some 760 tonnes of cargo per day, expected to be increased at a later stage. Said Jama: “We plan to upgrade the facility later, which will involve spending up to Sh1bn to enable the centre handle more cargo.”
The centre is to be a cold storage facility with the capacity to handle both imports and exports. Kenya’s exports are traditionally much lower than its imports, so it is hoped that this cold centre will increase Mombasa’s outgoing trade in the way of meat and fish to the Middle East and Asian countries. It is also hoped that the new centre will facilitate imports of dry cargo including mobile phones, electronics and shoes.
“We know there is demand for Kenyan exports out there, but we don’t have enough cold storage facilities. That is why we are doing this project,” said Jama, alluding to the increased business between Kenya and foreign countries.
The contract to put up the centre has been given to GN Cargo Kenya by the Kenya Airports Authority and is being carried out in partnership with a Dubai-based firm, along with the Sheikh Mohamed, a member of a royal family in the UAE.
News cited from magazine.groundhandling.com
