Active Development AidData Chinese Aid

CIDCA funds phase 2 of Nuevas Victorias Social Housing Project (linked to Record ID# 105210)

Funder	China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA)
Recipient Organization	Government of Nicaragua
Country	Nicaragua
Start Date	Oct 01, 2023
End Date	Sep 03, 2031
Duration	2,894 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`103202`

Grant Description

On January 28, 2022, President Rosario Murillo announced that the PRC Government had approved an important housing cooperation project with the Government of Nicaragua.

On April 27, 2022, the PRC Government and the Government of Nicaragua signed an RMB 400 million grant agreement for Phase 1 of the Nuevas Victorias National Housing Program (captured in #105210). In November 2023, the Government of Nicaragua signed a document approving the second phase with CIDCA in Beijing.

However, despite the signing of a cooperation agreement in Beijing, subsequent reporting confirmed that Phase 2 of the Nuevas Victorias project was ultimately financed by the Nicaraguan General Budget and a loan from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI). As a result, the project was not funded by China and has been cancelled in its originally proposed form.

The project is being undertaken by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), with a total construction area of about 35,000 square meters and a construction land area of about 340,000 square meters.

The Nuevas Victorias National Housing Program involves the construction of 12,034 houses in 84 municipalities, 15 departments, and two autonomous regions.

📋 Staff Comments

This project is also known as Phase 1 of the Social Housing Project. The Chinese project title is 尼保障房项目 or 尼加拉瓜保障房一期项目工程 or “新胜利”保障房一期项目 or 援尼加拉瓜保障房一期项目. The Spanish project title is El gran programa nacional de viviendas or Fase I del programa nacional de viviendas Nuevas Victorias.
Although the PRC and Nicaragua signed an agreement for Phase 2 of the Nuevas Victorias project in Nov 2023, official sources later confirmed that the project was financed by the Nicaraguan General Budget and a loan from CABEI, not Chinese funds. Therefore, the project has been marked as Cancelled due to change in funding source.

📚 Sources & References

Houses to be given by China will be built in Managua and the Asians will be in charge of managing the project on the ground
China Breaks Ground on Dubious Housing Scheme in Nicaragua
China is helping Nicaragua’s Sandinista gov’t build houses for poor people
The National Housing Program “Nuevas Victorias” begins
Proyecto nacional de viviendas «Nuevas Victorias» en Nicaragua avanza con cooperación china
Avances en la restitución de derechos a las familias nicaragüenses logrados en ambiente de paz y armonía Loan applications and disbursements are still being received and processed as the projects continue to evolve. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are in place to ensure project continuity.