Chinese Government provides $68 million interest-free loan for Levy Mwanawasa (Ndola) Stadium Construction Project

Project narrative

In 2008, the Government of Zambia requested assistance from the Chinese Government to construct a modern stadium in Ndola. Then, in 2009, the Chinese Government agreed to provide a $68 million interest-free loan for the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium Construction Project. The borrowing terms included a 0% interest rate, a 20-year maturity, and a 10-year grace period. The project involved the construction of a stadium in Ndola with a total capacity of 40,100 seats. The stadium was named after Levy Mwanawasa, the third President of Zambia, who served from 2002 to his death in 2008. It was expected to be a multi-purpose stadium but mostly for football matches. It is located on the T3 Highway at the start of the Ndola-Kitwe Dual Carriageway. Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Group (AFECC) was the contractor responsible for project implementation. An official groundbreaking ceremony took place on July 4, 2009. However, construction itself did not begin until August 28, 2009. Construction was completed on August 13, 2011. On January 4, 2012, the Chinese Government and the Government of Zambia signed the project handover certificate. Then, a formal opening ceremony was organized on June 2, 2012. The stadium hosted its first international game on June 9, 2012. Then, in July 2019, the Chinese Government forgave all of the Government of Zambia's outstanding debt obligations related to this project, although the amount of debt forgiveness that was reported at the time was over $70 million (as captured via Record ID#66330). In 2015, the Chinese government carried out the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium Technical Assistance Project (as captured via Record ID#56960).