HoGDP - Frontier Counties Development Council

Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project (HoAGDP) Connecting Mandera, Wajir, and Isiolo — Infrastructure That Serves People and Pastoralism The Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project (HoAGDP) is a transformative infrastructure investment by the Government of Kenya with World Bank support, targeting improved regional connectivity and resilience. At the core of this initiative are the counties of Mandera, Wajir, and Isiolo, strategically placed within the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) and forming a crucial lifeline for Kenya’s pastoralist populations. With the construction and upgrading of key road corridors, the HoAGDP is unlocking access for remote communities—linking grazing routes, enabling movement during seasonal migrations, and enhancing delivery of essential services in one of the most climate-vulnerable regions of Kenya.

Putting Pastoralist Needs at the Center
In Mandera, Wajir, and Isiolo, where livestock forms the basis of household survival, the
HoAGDP responds to local priorities by:
• Linking grazing zones to water points and markets
• Enhancing veterinary access and livestock disease response
• Opening up health and education services through better road access
• Facilitating drought response and resource sharing between counties
FCDC views this project not simply as a road initiative but as an enabler of the pastoralist way of life, one that has sustained generations across the northern region.

Site Visit Highlights;

Project partners, government engineers, and local leaders during a HoAGDP field mission along the Wajir–Tarbaj road corridor. The upgraded infrastructure will reduce isolation and improve pastoral mobility.

FCDC technical team and stakeholders visit a key access point along the HoAGDP alignment. Community involvement and on-site consultation remain central to the project’s success.

County leadership and FCDC officials after consultative discussions on the HoAGDP rollout and alignment with local development priorities in Mandera, Wajir, and Isiolo.

FCDC’s Commitment;
FCDC is committed to ensuring that infrastructure development like HoAGDP aligns with the lived realities of our people. We continue to advocate for:
• Meaningful community participation
• Inclusion of resilience-building components
• Sustainable infrastructure tailored to arid and semi-arid needs
By placing pastoralist concerns at the center of planning, HoAGDP serves not only as a corridor of connectivity, but as a pathway to dignity, mobility, and opportunity for frontier communities.

The Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) is a regional economic bloc comprising the County Governments of Lamu, Tana River, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Isiolo, Turkana, Samburu, and West Pokot.