Chinese Government provides $4.35 million grant for Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biological Safety Laboratory Construction Project (Linked to Record ID#35409, #62595)

Project narrative

In October 2014, the Chinese Ambassador Zhao Yanbo and Keifala Marah, the Sierra Leonean Minister of Finance and Economic Development, signed a exchange of letters, which committed $4.35 million grant funding for the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biological Safety Laboratory Construction Project. This project involved the construction of a fixed bio-safety level Ⅲ laboratory next to the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Hospital. Beijing Urban Construction Group was responsible for project implementation, but lab construction was the responsibility of Suzhou Golden Swallow Purification Co., Ltd. The total construction area was 375 m^2, and the construction period was supposed to be 130 days. On November 24, 2014, a groundbreaking ceremony for this project took place. Then, on December 19, 2014, a roof sealing ceremony was held for the lab. The civil engineering component of the project was completed on January 26, 2015. The electrical and mechanical installation component of the project was completed on January 31, 2015. The laboratory facilities and equipment commissioning took place on February 5, 2015. The project was officially completed on February 11, 2015. The laboratory has a test capacity of 100 blood samples per day for Ebola, and in the post Ebola era will focus on other dangerous virus and bacteria including TB, cholera, lassa fever and malaria. The Chinese Government dispatched a 59 person medical and laboratory team to operate the laboratory in 2014 (see Record ID#35409). Then, in June 2018, at the request of the Sierra Leonean Government, the Chinese Government agreed to implement a second phase of the fixed bio-safety lab for a period of 3 years. This project will reportedly help Sierra Leone better respond to epidemics like Ebola (see Record ID#62595).