Chinese Government provides RMB 290 million interest-free loan for Phase 2 of the Autonomous Port of Nouakchott Expansion Project (Linked to Project ID#36188)

According to the Government of Mauritania’s Development Assistance Database (DAD), the Chinese Government and the Government of Mauritania signed an RMB 120 million interest-free loan for Phase 2 of the Autonomous Port of Nouakchott Expansion Project. The proceeds of this loan were drawn from an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) that was signed by the two governments in 2012. The total cost of the Phase 2 of the Autonomous Port of Nouakchott Expansion Project was RMB 290 million, and the Chinese Government reportedly covered the remainder of the project cost (RMB 170 million) with one or more additional interest-free loans. Phase 2 involved the dredging of Berth No. 1, Berth No. 2, and Berth No. 3 at the Autonomous Port of Nouakchott. It also involved construction of a 257 meter protective dike and counter-silting activities to address silting problems on the north side of the port. Upon completion, it was envisaged that the port’s capacity would increase from three million to six million tons per year. China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), which is known locally as la Société nationale chinoise des travaux de ponts et chaussées (SNCTPC), was the contractor responsible for implementation. The project was originally expected to be undertaken between October 2, 2014 and August 2016. However its actual start date was November 30, 2014 and its actual completion date was April 30, 2016. Other relevant project milestones included a formal groundbreaking ceremony on November 27, 2014 and mid-term project acceptance by the funder (China’s Ministry of Commerce) on November 2, 2015. The Chinese Government also funded Phase 1 of this project through an RMB 2 billion government concessional loan from China Eximbank (see Project ID#36188).

Additional details

This project is also known as the Counter-Silting Dike Construction & Dredging Project in the Friendship Harbor of Mauritania and the Counter-Silting Dike Construction & Dredging Project in Friendship Harbor on No. 1, 2, and 3 Berths. The Chinese project title is 毛塔友谊港挡沙堤和清淤项目. The French project title is Projet de dragage du Port de Nouakchott, Projet de dragage et de construction de la digue de protection s'est déroulée jeudi au port de Nouakchott, or le dragage de la digue du port contre le sable. This project is currently recorded as a single RMB 290 million loan. However, further investigation will be required to identify the multiple interest-free loans that supported this RMB 290 million project. Since loan terms for the interest-free loan are unavailable, AidData has set maturity period to 20 years by default and grace period to 10 years by default per China's Foreign Assistance White Paper (http://www.cidca.gov.cn/2018-08/06/c_129925064_3.htm) which states that the maturity period of interest-free loans is 20 years, with a drawdown period of 5 years, grace period of 5 years, and repayment over 10 years. AidData treats the drawdown period as providing 5 years of additional grace.

Number of official sources

12

Number of total sources

14