Chinese Government provides RMB 300 million grant — via ETCA — for Plaza Madrid Interchange Construction Project (Linked to Record ID#56929)

Project narrative

On January 16, 2018, the Chinese Government and the Government of Mauritania signed an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA), which committed RMB 300 million ($42.3 million) of grant funding for the Plaza Madrid Interchange Construction Project and the Nouakchott Oumtousy International Airport Security Equipment Acquisition Project (see Record ID#56929). According to the Government of Mauritania’s Ministry of Economy, the total value of the Chinese Government’s grant commitment for the Plaza Madrid Interchange Construction Project is RMB 300 million, which suggests that the funds for the project were drawn from multiple ETCAs (including but not limited to the one that was signed on January 16, 2018). The purpose of the project is to construct an overpass at Madrid Square (also known as the Madrid Plaza, Rond-Point de Madrid, and دوار مدريد) in the capital city of Nouakchott. Madrid Square is one of the most congested parts of the road network in Nouakchott. China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is the contractor responsible for implementation. On April 16, 2019, Mauritania’s Minister of Equipment and Transportation, Rahabibra Habib, met with the Chinese Ambassador to Mauritania, Zhang Jianguo, met to discuss the project. Then, on October 24, 2021, a team of 11 Chinese and Mauritanian experts were dispatched to undertake 3 months of preparatory work on the project. A project implementation agreement was signed by the Chinese Government and the Government of Mauritania on December 3, 2021. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on January 5th, 2023