China Eximbank restructures 1998 loan for Phase 1 of Les Mamelles Housing Project in 2004 (Linked to Project ID#13307, ID#67498, and ID#67500)
Summary
Funding agency [Type]
Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank) [State-owned Policy Bank]
Recipient
Seychelles
Sector
Action relating to debt (Code: 600)
Flow type
Debt rescheduling
Level of public liability
Central government debt
Infrastructure
No
Category
Project lifecycle
Description
On August 20, 1998, China Eximbank and the Government of Seychelles signed an RMB 87,980,000 government concessional loan (GCL) agreement [CHINA EXIMBANK GCL NO.13 (38) 1998] for Phase 1 of the Les Mamelles Housing Project. The loan carried the following terms: 4% interest rate, 8-year maturity, and a 4-year grace period. The full face value of the loan was disbursed. Then, in 2004, China Eximbank and the Government of Seychelles signed an agreement to reschedule the repayment terms of this loan. The parties agreed that the outstanding balance of the loan (RMB 87,980,000) would be repaid according to the following repayment terms: a 2% interest rate, a 16-year maturity, and a 5-year grace period. The parties also agreed that repayments would be made in twelve, semi-annual installments of RMB 7.2 million between 2009 and 2014. However, due to economic difficulties, the Government of Seychelles had difficulty servicing this loan even after the 2004 rescheduling. Consequently, as of March 2011, principal and interest arrears (worth RMB 48,402,062.25) had accumulated. Then, on April 18, 2011, China Eximbank and the Government of Seychelles signed another agreement [CHINA EXIMBANK GCL NO.13D (38) 1998] to reschedule the repayment terms of this loan. The parties agreed that the outstanding balance of the loan (RMB 87,891,876.33) would be repaid according to the following repayment terms: 30.5-year maturity (367 months), 20.5-year grace period (247 months), and a 2% interest rate. The parties also agreed that repayments would be made in twenty, semi-annual installments between September 21, 2019 and March 20, 2029. The agreement also stipulated that the borrower could defer payment of an unpaid commitment fee (worth RMB 275,854.20) and unpaid accrued interest (RMB 21,045,948.02) to the first repayment date (September 21, 2019). This loan rescheduling was part of a larger debt restructuring agreement with China Eximbank (captured in Umbrella Project ID#13307). Project ID#73578 captures the 2004 rescheduling of the loan for Phase 1 of the Les Mamelles Housing Project, and Project ID#67500 captures the 2011 rescheduling of the loan for Phase 1 of the Les Mamelles Housing Project.
Additional details
The Chinese project title is 塞舌尔莱蒙斯住宅 or 援塞舌尔莱蒙斯住宅(一期)项目. In the database of Chinese loan commitments to African governments that SAIS-CARI released in 2020, it identifies the loan commitment year for Phase 1 of Les Mamelles Housing Project as 2007. However, the April 18, 2011 loan rescheduling agreement between China Eximbank and the Government of Seychelles specifies that the loan for Phase 1 of Les Mamelles Housing Project was contracted on August 20, 1998.
Number of official sources
5
Number of total sources
7
Details
Cofinanced
No
Direct receiving agencies [Type]
Government of Seychelles [Government Agency]
Implementing agencies [Type]
Government of Seychelles [Government Agency]
Loan Details
Maturity
16 years
Interest rate
2.0%
Grace period
5 years
Grant element (OECD Grant-Equiv)
29.6098%