Chinese Government provides RMB 300 million grant for Tropical Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Center Construction Project (Linked to Record ID#67838)

Project narrative

In December 2016, during his visit to China, Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma signed an RMB 300 million grant agreement with the Chinese Government for the Tropical Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Center Construction Project. This project involved the construction of a West Africa center for tropical infectious disease prevention and control at the 34 Military Hospital in the Wilberforce Barracks in Freetown. The facility houses equipment for the diagnosis of HIV and AIDS, malaria, typhoid, lung infections, TB and Hepatitis A, B & C. Malaria and TB tests, as well as some medications, are provided to patients free of charge. It has the capacity to treat 60-100 patients per day and contains a teleconference center so that doctors may consult with Chinese medical experts. This grant commitment was part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's commitment made during the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2015 to improve the country's capability to respond to epidemics like Ebola. Beijing Urban Construction Group Co. Ltd., Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), and the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) were jointly responsible for project implementation. The project started around January 2018 and took about 6 months to complete. The project handover ceremony was held on July 5, 2018. The Chinese Army aided in the construction but the start date is unclear.