Chinese Government provides RMB 135.4 million grant for Abidjan Palace of Culture Rehabilitation Project (Linked to Record ID#61030 and ID#92342))

Project narrative

On June 9, 2011, a Chinese Embassy official visited the then-dilapidated Abidjan Palace of Culture (Palais de la culture d’Abidjan) and the Ivorian Minister of Culture requested that the Chinese Government repair the building. On March 14, 2012, the Chinese Government and Government of Cote d'Ivoire signed letters of exchange formally agreeing to carry out the Abidjan Palace of Culture Rehabilitation Project. Then, according to the Government of Côte d'Ivoire’s Aid Management Platform (AMP), China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and the Government of Côte d'Ivoire signed a grant agreement worth approximately RMB 135,484,375 (CFA 10,421,875,000) and an interest-free loan agreement worth RMB 64,168,000 (CFA 4,936,000,000) for the Abidjan Palace of Culture Rehabilitation Project on December 13, 2012. The grant is captured via Record ID#60791 and the interest-free loan is captured via Record ID#92342. The grant was disbursed in five tranches (worth CFA 10,421,875,000): a CFA 5,000,000,000 tranche on December 31, 2013, a CFA 4,467,000,000 tranche on October 15, 2014, a CFA 954,875,000 tranche on May 31, 2015, a CFA 333,333,333 tranche on December 31, 2018, and a CFA 333,333,333 tranche on December 31, 2019. The loan was disbursed in two tranches (worth CFA 4,936,000,000): a CFA 936,000,000 tranche on December 31, 2013 and a CFA 4,000,000,000 tranche on May 31, 2015. The purpose of the project was to rehabilitate the Abidjan Palace of Culture — a venue used for large-scale performances such as plays, concerts, exhibitions, and conferences — in the capital city of Abidjan. The building is situated between the Houphouët-Boigny Bridge and the General de Gaulle Bridge. It occupies a 17,000 square meter space and includes a 1,500-seat indoor theater and a 2,800-seat outdoor theater. The Abidjan Palace of Culture was originally built with financial support from the Chinese government during the 1990s but was severely damaged during the 2010-2011 post-election crisis. Qingjian Group was the contractor responsible for implementation of the rehabilitation project. Beijing Architectural Design and Research Institute was responsible for the design of the project. Works were scheduled to last 24 months and end in June 2015. Qingjian Group was awarded a MOFCOM contract in 2012. Project implementation officially commenced on May 9, 2013. However, construction did not begin until June 18, 2013. The project was completed twenty days ahead of schedule on May 28, 2015. It was then handed over to the Ivorian authorities on June 20, 2015. An Abidjan Palace of Culture reopening ceremony took place on July 31, 2015. Then, in 2017, the Chinese Government provided a CFA 50 million grant to the Government of Cote d'Ivoire’s Ministry of Culture and Francophone to help manage and furnish the Palace (as captured via Record ID#61030).