Chinese Government provides RMB 200 million grant — via August 2017 ETCA — for Phase 1 of Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport Road Project (Linked to Record ID#60977, #92520, #60980)

Project narrative

On August 28, 2017, the Chinese Government and the Government of Namibia signed an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA), which committed an RMB 200 million (NAD 400 million) grant for Phase 1 of the Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport Road Project. Phase 1 is a 8.4 kilometer, two-way, four-lane highway from Mandume Ndemufayo Avenue (or MR49 or Kupferburg road) to Sam Nujoma Drive. The Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport Road Project is also called the TR 9/1 or Trunk Road 9/1 Project. In early December 2015, a joint venture between China Railway Engineering Seventh Bureau (direct subsidiary of CREC) and Onamagongwa Trading Enterprises (see the linked Record ID#67851) won a NAD 799 million ($66.65 million or RMB 312.97 million) bid to implement the project. On December 16, 2015, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the first phase of the project. Construction was scheduled to last 36 months between January 2016 and January 2019, but conflict between the JV partners led to significant delays. As of December 2019, the project had achieved a 77% completion rate, and so this project is in the implementation stage. As of November 15, 2021, the CEO of the Roads Authority (RA) announced that the project had achieved a 98% completion rate. As of May 10, 2022, the CEO of the Roads Authority announced that the project would be completed in July 2022. China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) reportedly issued an RMB 447,000,000 grant (captured via Record ID#92520) to support Phase 2B of this same road project. Also in 2018, China Eximbank signed a loan agreement (captured via Record ID#60977) for Phase 2B.