Chinese Government provides RMB 51.79 million grant for Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Building Complex Construction Project (Linked to Record ID#62939)

Project narrative

On July 3, 2002, the Chinese Government agreed to provide a grant to the Government of Sierra Leone for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Building Complex Construction Project. The total size of the grant commitment from China’s Ministry of Commerce was approximately RMB 51.79 million. This project involved the construction a new building complex for its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the capital city of Freetown. (Freetown Renews Diplomatic Relations With Tripoli). A Chinese embassy article indicates that the site for the building was chosen as of August 2008. (邱绍芳大使视察我部分援塞项目组和在塞中资企业). Then, on October 27, 2010, the groundbreaking ceremony was held in Tower Hill. Chinese Ambassador, Qiu Shaofang, Zainab Bangura, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation attended the ceremony. Shanghai Construction Group General Co., Ltd. (我援塞外交部办公楼项目开工仪式在弗里敦举行) was the contractor responsible for implementation. On July 2, 2012, the construction was completed and the building was officially handed over to the Sierra Leonean authorities. (Charge d'Affaires a.i. Mr. Fan Xiaodong and Sierra Leonean Foreign Minister Hon. Mr. J. B. Dauda Sign the Hand-over and Acceptance Certificate of the Project of Office Building Complex of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) In July 2013, the Chinese embassy signed an agreement to donate a batch of equipment to the newly built complex (Record ID#62939). Then, on January 16, 2014, an official commissioning ceremony of the new building was held in Freetown. Sierra Leone's President, Ernest Bai Koroma, and the Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Zhao Yanbo, attended the ceremony with many government officials. (塞拉利昂总统科罗马出席我援塞外交部办公楼启用典礼)