Chinese Government provides RMB 350 million grant for University of Cape Verde New Campus Construction Project

In July 2014, the Chinese Government dispatched a group of experts to Cape Verde to conduct a feasibility study for construction of a new campus for University of Cape Verde (Universidade de Cabo Verde or Uni-CV) in the capital city of Praia. On January 18, 2016, the two governments signed an exchange of notes in which the Chinese Government agreed to fully fund the University of Cape Verde New Campus Construction Project. China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) is the source of grant funding for this project and it has committed RMB 350 million in total. The project involves the construction of 61 classrooms. 5 auditoriums, 34 laboratories, 8 computer rooms, 8 reading rooms, a library, cafeterias, a sports hall and a 654-seat multipurpose space. The total construction area of the new university campus, which is located in the Palmarejo Grande areas about 4 km outside of the capital city of Praia, is about 28,800 square meters and the campus will have the capacity to accommodate 4,890 students and 476 teachers. The new campus will replace existing premises of Uni-CV, which are scattered across the city of Praia. The Government of Cape Verde intends to find alternative uses for the old university buildings. Longxin Construction Group, a Chinese-owned private entity, is the contractor responsible for implementation; MOFCOM awarded it a construction contract in 2017. China Urban Construction Design & Research Institute was the contractor responsible for project design and supervision. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 20, 2017 and the project was officially completed and handed over the local authorities on July 23, 2021. The project was originally scheduled for completion on July 25, 2020. As of December 2018, construction was ongoing. The campus was then scheduled to open in March 2021 after the July 2020 launch was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The project involves the construction of 61 classrooms. 5 auditoriums, 34 laboratories, 8 computer rooms, 8 reading rooms, a library, cafeterias, a sports hall and a 654-seat multipurpose space. The total construction area of the new university campus, which is located in the Palmarejo Grande areas about 4 km outside of the capital city of Praia, is about 28,800 square meters and the campus will have the capacity to accommodate 4,890 students and 476 teachers. The new campus will replace existing premises of Uni-CV, which are scattered across the city of Praia. The Government of Cape Verde intends to find alternative uses for the old university buildings. On July 23, 2021, the Cape Verdean government recieved the building of the new campus from China. Longxin Construction Group, a Chinese-owned private entity, is the contractor responsible for implementation; MOFCOM awarded it a construction contract in 2017. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 20, 2017 and construction was scheduled for completion on July 25, 2020. As of December 2018, construction was ongoing. The campus was then scheduled to open in March 2021 after the July 2020 launch was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Additional details

1. The Government of Cape Verde characterizes this project as a “gift” from the Chinese Government, so AidData has coded the project as grant-financed rather than loan-financed for the time being.The Government of Cape Verde has also identified the face value of the financial commitment that supported this project as CVE 5.6 billion (or approximately $61 million). However, given that most large grants from the Chinese Government are denominated in RMB, AidData relies on the RMB 350 million estimate (approximately $53.5 million) that is reported by the Chinese Government. 2. One official source (http://www.haimen.gov.cn/hmsrmzf/jzy/content/c65f0d2a-7ed7-4aec-a118-9296934315e3.html) indicates that China Eximbank issued an RMB 60 million loan to Longxin Construction Group for the implementation of this project. However it is unclear if this commitment is separate from and additional to the RMB 350 million commitment from MOFCOM. This issue merits further investigation. 3. According to the Chinese Embassy, the new campus is the largest Chinese aid-funded project since the two countries established diplomatic relations. 4. The Chinese project title is 佛得角大学新校区项目 or 援佛得角大学新校区项目. The Portuguese project title is Novo Campo da Universidade de Cabo Verde (Uni-CV).

Number of official sources

18

Number of total sources

29