China Eximbank provides $12.88 million buyer’s credit loan for Huíla Polytechnic Institute and Secondary School Construction Project (linked to #42029, #34822)

On 28 November, 2003, China and Angola signed a framework agreement pertaining to a special economic cooperation arrangement (Agreement name in Chinese: 中华人民共和国商务部与安哥拉共和国财政部关于两国经贸合作特殊安排的框架协议). Following the signing of the framework agreement, on 2 March, 2004, China Eximbank and the Government of Angola signed a $2 billion Master Loan Facility Agreement (MLFA). All of the subsidiary buyer’s credit loans approved through this MLFA carried the following terms: an interest rate of 3-month LIBOR (1.112% at the time that the MLFA was signed) plus a 1.5% margin- totaling 2.612%, a 22 year maturity period, and 5 year grace period (see linked Project ID#42029). According to the World Bank, this MLFA has a management commission fee of 0.3%, an installation commission fee of 1%; and an immobilization fee of 0.3% (See: Angola Public Expenditure Review (In Two Volumes) Volume II: Sectoral Review, p. 19).Sonangol provided a source of collateral for loans under the MLFA, and repayments were made with the proceeds of oil sales from Sonangol to UNIPEC (China international United Petroleum & Chemicals Co. Ltd, Sinopec group), which were deposited in an Angolan Ministry of Finance (MINFIN) account at China Eximbank (See: China’s Oil Diplomacy: Comparing Chinese Economic Statecraft in Angola and Brazil, p. 148). The volume of oil to be sold to UNIPEC each month for repayment of the loan varied according to market oil prices. Under the agreement, 70% of works have to be contracted with Chinese companies and the same proportion of construction material, equipment and labour has to be contracted in China (See: China’s Oil Diplomacy: Comparing Chinese Economic Statecraft in Angola and Brazil, p. 149).Then, in March 2005, China Eximbank and the Government of Angola signed a $12,881,716.77 subsidiary buyer’s credit loan agreement for the Huíla Polytechnic Institute and Secondary School Construction Project (See: UNCOVERING AGENCY: ANGOLA’S MANAGEMENT OF RELATIONS WITH CHINA, p. 279). The proceeds of this loan were used to partially finance a $14,313,018.63 commercial contract with Sinohydro, which was signed on 9 May, 2005 (See: UNCOVERING AGENCY: ANGOLA’S MANAGEMENT OF RELATIONS WITH CHINA, p. 279). The purpose of this project, which employed 150 Angolan workers and 45 Chinese workers, was to construct a polytechnic Institute and secondary school in Huíla Province (See: LINHA DE CRÉDITO COM O EXIM BANK DA CHINA RELATÓRIO DAS ACTIVIDADES DESENVOLVIDAS II TRIMESTRE DE 2007).The contract for this project went into effect on 17 April, 2006, and the projected handover date was 11 October, 2007 (See: LINHA DE CRÉDITO COM O EXIM BANK DA CHINA RELATÓRIO DAS ACTIVIDADES DESENVOLVIDAS II TRIMESTRE DE 2007). The precise construction start date is unknown; however, a handover ceremony was held on 10 April, 2008 (See: 中国水电集团承建安哥拉维拉理工学院和中学项目竣工交接). Sinohydro reported that construction started in September 2006. In July 2007, this project received additional financing from China Eximbank (see Project ID#34822).

Additional details

The Portuguese project title is Construção de um Instituto Politécnico e de uma Escola Secundária na província da Huíla. The project is referred to as 维拉理工学院和中学项目 in Chinese. The 2003 framework agreement (中华人民共和国商务部与安哥拉共和国财政部关于两国经贸合作特殊安排的框架协议) specified that Sinosure will be signing relevant agreements with the Government of Angola, although the nature of the agreements is unclear. AidData has coded Sinosure as an accountable agency and providing insurance to the loan facility.AidData considers this loan to be collateralized in a de facto sense. The cash deposited by the Angolan Ministry of Finance into a bank account controlled by China Eximbank is, for all intents and purposes, a source of collateral. This is true even if the lender does not have a formal security interest in the account.

Number of official sources

7

Number of unofficial sources

2