Narrative
Full Description
Project narrative
On April 15th, 2019, the Sao Tome Minister of Public Works stated that China will begin the construction of 60 apartments in the districts of Lobata and Cantaglo by the end of 2019 as part of a "social housing project" with Sao Tome and Principe. These 60 apartments are part of 200 apartments that China is slated to finish in the next four years (by 2023) as part of the project (phase II recorded in Record ID#102610). In Portuguese, the project title is Projecto das casas sociais da assistencia chinesa em Sao Tome e Principe. The 60 apartments are to be constructed within five buildings, each of which will have three floors, with each floor housing four apartments. Therefore, each building will hold 12 apartments. There will be two buildings (housing 24 apartments) in Lobata, specifically Guadalupe, and three buildings (housing 36 apartments) in Cantagalo, specifically Mestre António. Construction began on November 26, 2019, when the groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held. On May 11, 2021, Ambassador Xu Yingzhen accompanied the Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe to São Tomé and Príncipe to inspect the recently completed social housing project (Phase I) in São Tomé and Príncipe. However, the handover ceremony marking the completion of the project's first phase was not held until August 19, 2021. This project is financed by the September 2018 USD $29 million grant given by China for infrastructure projects in Sao Tome and Principe (recorded in the umbrella Record ID#56531).