Chinese Government provides RMB 56.04 million grant for Sapéké Bridge Reconstruction Project (Linked to #56184)

In October 2011, floods during the raining season led to the collapse of the Sapéké Bridge. This bridge connects the 2nd and 6th arrondissements of Bangui and by extension all regions in southwestern CAR. Then, on December 7, 2012, a design and construction contract for the Sapéké Bridge Reconstruction Project was signed by CAR’s Minister of Transportation and Equipment. On April 27, 2016, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China and the Central African Republic's Ministry of Transport signed an RMB 56.04 million grant agreement for the Sapéké Bridge Reconstruction Project. These funds were drawn from an economic and technical cooperation agreement (ETCA) that the two governments signed on November 28, 2015 (captured in #56184). The purpose of this project is to reconstruct the 36 meter-long and 15 meter-wide bridge (with two lanes of 4.5 meters each and two sidewalks of 2.5 meters each), which connects the capital city of Bangui with the National Highway No. 6 in the northwest. Shanxi Construction Engineering Group Corporation was the contractor responsible for implementation. A groundbreaking ceremony marking the beginning of the project's construction was held on December 16, 2016. Then, on March 1, 2018, a completion ceremony marking the opening of the bridge to traffic was held.

Additional details

The French project title is Pont Sapéké à Bangui or Projet de Reconstruction Du Pont Sapéké Jayzy a Bangui. The Chinese project title is 中非萨贝格断桥重建项目 or 援中非萨贝格断桥项目 or 班吉萨贝格断桥竣. Some sources refer to the value of the grant commitment as 6 billion CFA Francs.

Number of official sources

6

Number of total sources

19