Chinese Government provides RMB 4 million grant for Phase 1 of Campus Telephone Network Project (Linked to Record ID#67232 and Record ID#85254)

Project narrative

According to a dataset of foreign-financed projects that the Syrian Planning Commission (SPC) provided to UNDP Syria in May 2011, the Chinese Government provided an RMB 30 million ($4,416,000) interest-free loan (captured in Record ID#67232) and an RMB 4 million (USD 588,800) grant (captured in Record ID#65100) to the Government of Syria’s Ministry of Higher Education in 2003 for Phase 1 of the Campus Network Project. The purpose of the project was to connect the colleges and directorates of the University of Damascus via an internal telephone network and equip students with a prepaid telephone card for reaching out to their families living in the city. ZTE Corporation was the contractor responsible for implementation. The originally anticipated project implementation start date was January 1, 2003 and the originally anticipated project implementation end date was December 31, 2005. The first telephone site supported by this project was established at the end of 2005, The project was officially completed and handed over to the local authorities on June 13, 2006. Then, on March 2, 2008, the Chinese Government and the Government of Syria signed letters of exchange regarding Phase 2 of Campus Network Project (captured in Record ID#85254). This agreement drew upon the funds that were committed through the ETCA on May 23, 2005. The purpose of Phase 2 was to extend the land line network linking Damascus University with all its campuses and with the Ministry of Higher Education.