Chinese Government provides CFAF 3 billion grant for Agricultural Demonstration Center Construction Project

In 2009, China’s Ministry of Commerce provided a grant worth CFAF 3 billion to the Government of Benin for the Agricultural Demonstration Center Construction Project (See: Cablegate: Benin: Chinese Finance Construction of Pilot Agricultural). This project involved the construction of an agricultural demonstration center in the town of Sèmè-Kpodji (See: Cablegate: Benin: Chinese Finance Construction of Pilot Agricultural). It was one of 14 agricultural demonstration centers being funded by the Chinese Government in Africa under the framework of the Eight Aid Africa Initiatives at the Beijing Summit of the 2006 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (See: 王家瑞部长出席贝宁农业示范中心揭牌仪式)China Agricultural Development Group Corporation and China Railway Fifth Bureau (Group) Co., Ltd. were responsible for implementation (See: 援贝宁农业示范中心成功举办首期玉米培训班). A groundbreaking ceremony was held on 31 March, 2009 (See: Cablegate: Benin: Chinese Finance Construction of Pilot Agricultural). Construction was completed in 2009. Then, a formal inauguration ceremony took place on 20 January, 2010 (See: 王家瑞部长出席贝宁农业示范中心揭牌仪式).In October 2010, the China National Agricultural Development Group Co., Ltd. (CNADC) began dispatching agricultural experts to the center (See: Benin Farmers Advance Through Chinese Agrotechnology). These staff helped run the 54-ha. cultivation and teaching area at the center. As of 29 October, 2013, 1,331 people had been trained at the center.The operation of the center was divided into two stages under a Build-Operate-Transfer model. The first phase was a technical cooperation period where the Chinese Government provided funding, and the second phase was an independent operation period where the center was handed over to be run solely by Benin’s Ministry of Agriculture (See: 对外投资合作国别（地区）指南, page 37). The agreement for the second phase was signed on 5 November, 2014 (See: 贝宁农业部与中农发集团签署援贝农业技术示范中心)), but the second phase of Benin ownership did not begin until 4 March, 2015. Therefore, the center was operated with Chinese Government funding for approximately 6 years.

Additional details

The Chinese project title is 农业示范中心 or 贝宁农业示范中心. The French project title is Centre pilote agricole sino-béninois de Sèmè-Kpodji.

Number of official sources

12

Number of unofficial sources

8