Chinese Government provides RMB 141.7 million grant from National Assembly Building Rehabilitation Project (Linked to Record ID#12382)

Project narrative

Gabon's National Assembly Building (also known as Palais de l'Assemblée nationale or Palais Léon Mba) was constructed between May 1997 to August 30, 1999 with interest-free loans from the Chinese Government. Then, it was burned down by protesters in 2016 following allegedly fraudulent elections. On December 7, 2016, the Chinese Government and the Government of Gabon signed an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA), which committed grant funding for the National Assembly Building Rehabilitation Project. China’s Ministry of Commerce committed RMB 141.762 million (or approximately 14.5 billion CFA) of grant funding. The project, which is being co-financed by the Gabonese Government, involves the demolition and reconstruction of the hemicycle within the National Assembly building, an extension of the building's capacity to accommodate more than 960 places (including 143 deputies), the rehabilitation and decoration of 205 offices, and the reconstruction of a fire pump room and a fire tank. Jiangsu Jiangdu Construction Group Co., Ltd. is the contractor responsible for implementation. An implementation agreement was signed on June 12, 2018. Then, a groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 18, 2019. The project was originally expected to reach completion by August 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, it was temporarily suspended. Project implementation resumed in the fall of 2020. The project was ultimately completed and handed over to the local authorities on June 14, 2021.