Chinese Government provides a RMB 30 million grant for the Presidential Palace Construction Project (Linked to Record ID#2168)

Project narrative

On April 12, 2001, the Government of China and the Government of Togo signed an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) (Chinese agreement name: 中华人民共和国政府和多哥共和国政府经济技术合作协定), which committed a RMB 30 million of grant for the Presidential Palace Construction Project, as captured by this project. Then, on October 10, 2003, the Chinese Government and the Togolese Governments signed another ETCA for the provision of an additional RMB 20 million grant for the Presidential Palace Construction Project and any other projects approved by the two governments, as captured by linked Record ID#2168. The palace was located at the northern part of the city of Lomé. The two-story, 60,000-square-foot complex included more than 40 offices and banquet and conference halls. The project included the construction of the main body of the presidential palace, the north gate, pump room, transformer room, guard room and garage. The entire complex covered an area of 13 hectares. The palace was intended to serve as a location for the President of Togo to work, hold cabinet meetings, and receive foreign guests. The old presidential palace had fallen into disrepair, posing a challenge for government work. Beijing Construction Engineering Group Co., Ltd. was the contractor responsible for project implementation. Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd. (BIAD) was responsible for architectural design. 52 technicians and engineers, 211 workers, and 503 laborers were involved in the palace's construction, which also required 8,000 tons of cement, 12,000 cubic meters of sand, 136,000 cubic meters of gravel and 15,000 tons of steel. The project's groundbreaking ceremony was held on November 6, 2003. At this moment, the project was expected to be completed within 13 months. Then-President of Togo, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, laid the first stone for the palace. Construction began in April 2004 and ended in February 2006. The palace was officially inaugurated on April 24, 2006 in a ceremony presided over by the President of Togo Faure Gnassingbé. Upon completion of the construction phase, Beijing Construction Engineering Group maintained the palace for one year. A first phase of technical cooperation was launched in April 2007, and a second phase was launched in April 2011.