Chinese Government provides TT$100 million grant -- via January 2020 ETCA -- for Forensic Science Center Construction Project (Linked to Project ID#69011 and ID#95316)

On January 7, 2020, the Chinese Government provided a TT$100 million grant to the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of National Security for the ongoing construction of the New Forensic Science Center in Mt. Hope. Grant funds were committed via an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) signed by the Minister of National Security and the Chinese Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago (as captured via Project ID#95316). The new building is expected to replace the current smaller one in St. James. The building is set to go up in two stages: first a new main forensic sciences building, and then a "L-shaped" DNA storage building. The new center is being constructed with the goal of alleviating personnel and infrastructure issues that have been plaguing the forensic department for some time. The Trinidadians requested funding for the project from China after the Prime Minister visited a similarly Chinese-funded forensics center in Jamaica. As of January 2020, the project had not yet broken ground despite its proposed completion date by the beginning of 2020. The 2020 grant represents additional funding for the project after the Chinese Government provided a $10 million dollar grant in 2018 (as captured via Project ID#69011).

Additional details

1. Source #180460 details a signing ceremony for an exchange of letters with Chinese Ambassador Fang Qiu with regard to the construction of a new Trinidad and Tobago Forensic Science Centre (TTFSC).

Number of official sources

6

Number of total sources

10