Chinese Government provides $3.7 million grant for National People's Palace Construction Project

Project narrative

According to Guinea-Bissau’s Popular National Assembly, the Government of Guinea-Bissau entered into negotiations with the Chinese Government to build a headquarters for its Popular National Assembly in 2000 . On February 8, 2002, the two governments signed an exchange of letters regarding the National People's Palace Construction Project. According to email correspondence between AidData’s Executive Director and the Director General of the Office of the Secretary of State for Planning and Regional Integration in Guinea-Bissau, the monetary value of the Chinese Government grant commitment for this project was $3,743,150 . The project involved the construction of a four-story building covered 6,316 sq. meters in the city of Bissau. Jiangsu Provincial Construction Group was the contractor responsible for implementation . The design of the building was completed in 2002. Then, on July 9, 2003, a construction contract for the project was signed . Pre-construction preparations took place during the same month. Then, on November 27, 2003, a foundation laying ceremony was held. Guinea-Bissau's President Henrique Rosa and the Chinese ambassador to Guinea-Bissau, Gao Kexiang, jointly laid the foundation. Construction was expected to begin by the end of 2003 and reach completion by the end of 2004 . On March 23, 2005, the People's Palace was officially completed and handed over to Government of Guinea-Bissau . Guinea Bissau's President Henrique Rosa, Prime Minister Carols Gomes, and more than 500 people from the government and the army attended the handover ceremony. Construction took a year to be completed .