Narrative
Full Description
Project narrative
In 2013, Soluxe International, a subsidiary of the China National Petroleum Company (CNPC), provided 19 billion CFA francs and built a 4-star hotel complex in Niamey, Niger overlooking the Niger River. It is unclear whether this was financed through a grant or a loan. Construction began on August 3, 2013, and was finished on March 27, 2015. Soluxe Hotel Niamey (阳光尼亚美酒店) has 73 rooms and suites, a gourmet restaurant, a bar, multipurpose meeting rooms, banquets halls, and an outdoor pool. The complex also includes apartments, a shopping center, business center, basketball courts, and other recreational facilities. The purpose of this project is to offer luxury accommodations for tourists, and (most importantly) foreign investors. The project was criticized because the land was acquired for a very cheap price ($500,000), the hotel is much smaller than initially planned (73 instead of 200 rooms) and the highly secured compound is mainly occupied by apartments for Chinese engineers and technicians (both from CNPC and other companies) working in Niger.