Kenya has granted a public-private bank concession to a unit of the Adani Group and the African Development Bank to build power transmission lines. David Nadi, chief economic adviser to Kenyan President William Ruto, said in a post on X that the concession is worth $1.3 billion. “The government has granted PPP concessions to Adani and Africa50 to build new transmission lines through KETRACO. They are hiring their project teams. These transmission lines cost $1.3 billion, which we do not need to borrow,” Nadi wrote. Africa50 is an infrastructure investment arm of the African Development Bank. Adani Group and the African Development Bank did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
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Anger among Kenyans
A separate plan by the Kenyan government to lease the country’s main international airport to the Adani Group has sparked anger among Kenyans and triggered a strike by the country’s aviation workers. The plan involves leasing Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the Adani Group for 30 years in exchange for a $1.85 billion investment by Adani in expanding the airport.
Adani Group operates seven airports in India
The Adani Group operates seven airports in India and has often faced criticism from Indian opposition parties. Indian officials and the Adani Group have denied such allegations. Kenya is grappling with a high debt load accumulated from years of spending on infrastructure. The government’s proposal to increase taxes to generate additional funds needed to repay the debt led to protests and forced the government to scrap the proposal.