No bridge is too far

No bridge is too far

Kipp’s poll: two-thirds of readers say 28.5km bridge linking Yemen and Djibouti is a ‘good idea’.

March 29, 2010 9:53 by Ben Flanagan

It sounds like ‘a bridge too far’.

The Bridge of the Horns, a proposed 28.5km link spanning the Red Sea between Yemen and Djibouti, is generally described as an ‘ambitious’ project. Indeed, many have cast doubt whether it will ever get off the ground.

But in a reader poll conducted by Kipp, the majority of respondents said that the proposed link is “a good idea”. Forty percent said it is a good thing because “it will give the two countries a much-needed economic boost”, while 26.5 percent said “the bridge will provide a vital link between Africa and Asia.”

Only 18.5 percent of respondents said that “there’s no demand for the proposed road, rail and pipeline link”, and 15 percent said that “financing the project will be impossible”.

Earlier this month, Kipp spoke to the developer behind the $14 billion bridge project, which is part of a wider $200 billion proposed development in Yemen and Djibouti.

Mohammed Ahmed al-Ahmed, CEO of Dubai-based developer Al Noor Holding Investment, told Kipp that he is ‘confident’ that the respective governments will give the go-ahead for the development, which includes the construction of a major city on either side of the bridge.

“We have a memorandum of understanding between our company and the governments of Yemen and Djibouti. The next step is to [sign] the framework [agreement], which has been officially submitted to the Yemen and Djibouti governments,” said al-Ahmed. “We are expecting this later this month or next month. The moment we have received the signatures of the framework, all the companies are ready to move forward.”

Al-Ahmed added that he is “comfortable and confident” that approval will be given. “We have received very high support from these governments”.