Chinese Government provides RMB 346 million grant for Parliament Building Construction Project

Project narrative

In 2017, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) provided an RMB 346 million ($58 million) grant to the Republic of Congo for the Parliament Building Construction Project. This project involved the construction of a new parliament building (Palais du Parlement) in the capital city of Brazzaville. The building comprises of two main sections each containing three levels. One section houses the National Assembly and the other houses the Senate. Each section contains seven meeting rooms with 50 seats each, a press room, two VIP lounges, two permanent and auxiliary committee rooms, technical rooms, restrooms, and a health care room. There are also archive rooms, libraries, and 540 parking spaces. Lastly, the building includes 500 seats for members of the National Assembly and 300 seats for the members of the Congolese Senate. Beijing Institute of Architectural Design and Research Co., Ltd. and Shenyang Engineering Supervision Consulting Co., Ltd. were responsible for project design and supervision. Jiangsu Provincial Construction LTD was the contractor responsible for implementation. It was awarded a MOFCOM contract in December 2016. The project officially commenced on April 30, 2017. On May 22, 2017, Congolese President Sassou Nguesso and a delegation from MOFCOM attended a foundation laying ceremony. Then, on January 12, 2018, the Chinese Ambassador to the Republic of Congo conducted a project site visit. The project was originally expected to reach completion in August 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, construction was temporarily suspended. The project was officially handed over on March 3, 2021.