Chinese Government provides $9 million grant to Liberia for Monrovia Vocational Training Center Construction Project (Linked to Record ID#55955, #30738, #30619)

Project narrative

In June 2011, the Chinese Government agreed to provide a $9 million grant to the Government of Liberia for the construction of the Vocational and Technical Training School in Monrovia via an Exchange of Letters Agreement. This was partially funded via a $17 million USD Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement between the two countries from 2013 (Record ID#30738) as well as a $15 million Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (Record ID#30619) from 2012. Construction began September 18, 2011. On November 18, 2015, the Shanxi Construction Company, the Chinese contractor responsible for implementation of this project, finished the construction and renovation of Monrovia Vocational Training Center and handed it over to the Government of Liberia. The handover ceremony was attended by the Chinese Ambassador accredited to Liberia, Zhang Yue, the President of Liberia, H. E. Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Hon. B. Elias Shoniyin, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, and other senior Liberian government officials. The new campus, which now sits on a 6000 square meters parcel of land, is equipped with modern facilities designed to meet the needs of training young Liberians. The Chinese Ambassador, H.E. Zhang Yue, stated that the new campus' library can host at least 300 persons at once, and the campus can take in 1000 students and at least 200 support staff, including teachers. The Shandong Foreign Trade Vocational College was to assist in the training programs proposed for after establishment of the training center, and in 2019, the Shandong Foreign Trade Vocational College and Qingjian International Strategic Cooperation Agreement was signed to provide training to Liberian students. In 2018, a Chinese Government sponsored training program for Liberian youth was held at the Monrovia Vocational Training Center (see linked Record ID#55955).