(Yicai) Dec. 5 -- China's experience in economic development and building infrastructure is worth learning from and using by Kenya and other African countries, according to the director of the University of Nairobi's Africa Center for the Study of China.

The work of the center is to draw on China's experience through comparative studies for the benefit of Kenya and other African countries, Mutinda Mutisya Kyule said in an exclusive interview with Yicai at the third Global South Think Tanks Dialogue in Shanghai yesterday.

Chinese firms invested in and built the 27.1-kilometer Nairobi Expressway during the most severe period of the Covid-19 pandemic, finishing construction in less than two years, vividly displaying the "China Speed" and their sense of responsibility to the Kenyan people, he pointed out.

The expressway, with a total investment of about USD560 million, was invested in, developed, built, and operated by China Road and Bridge Corporation under the Build-Operate-Transfer model. It opened on July 31, 2022, becoming Kenya's first toll road and first Public-Private-Partnership-based highway.

Building new infrastructure has significantly driven local economic development, Mutisya noted. Driving from downtown Nairobi to the airport used to take up to three hours in extreme cases, but now it takes only 20 minutes thanks to the expressway, he said.

In addition, the Nairobi Expressway has significantly reduced local logistics and commuting costs for the public, driving the positive development of real estate and other markets along the expressway and surrounding areas, bringing considerable economic benefits to the city, Mutisya said. Over 500 locals have been hired after it opened, accounting for about 95 percent of all workers related to the project, he added.

The Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, another large transportation project built by CRBC in Kenya, has also promoted local business development and improved infrastructure throughout East Africa, Mutisya pointed out.

With a total investment of USD3.8 billion, the 472-km modern railroad opened in 2017, connecting Mombasa, the largest port in East Africa, with Nairobi. It cut freight transport time between the two cities to eight hours from three days while increasing transport efficiency by over 70 percent and lowering logistics costs by 40 percent, helping consolidate Kenya's position as an East African trade hub.

An increasing number of Chinese pharmaceutical firms have been building factories in Africa in recent years, helping host countries enhance their relevant production capacity and cultivate more local industry talent, Mutisya added.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev