Completed Development AidData Chinese Aid

China Eximbank provides RMB 100 million government concessional loan for Dedicated Security Information System Project

¥100M RMB

Funder	Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank)
Recipient Organization	Government of Sierra Leone
Country	Sierra Leone
Start Date	May 17, 2011
End Date	Jan 07, 2026
Duration	5,349 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`2267`

Grant Description

China Eximbank provides RMB 100 million government concessional loan for Dedicated Security Information System Project On May 17, 2011, China Eximbank and the Government of Sierra Leone signed an RMB 100,000,000 government concessional loan (GCL) agreement [CHINA EXIMBANK GCL NO. (2011) 18 TOTAL NO. (368) Series No. 1420303052011110701] for the Dedicated Security Information System (DSIS) Project.

📋 Loan / Grant Terms

📅 Maturity20 years

⏳ Grace Period5 years

💹 Interest Rate2%

The proceeds from this loan were used to finance a commercial contract that ZTE Corporation signed with Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Internal Affairs on May 5, 2008.

Under the original terms of the loan agreement, the borrower was responsible for making 30, equal, semi-annual principal payments (each worth RMB 6,666,666.70).

The (principal) amount outstanding under the loan was RMB 100,000,000 as of December 31, 2015, RMB 100,000,000 as of December 31, 2016, RMB 93,333,300 as of December 31, 2017, RMB 86,666,666.70 as of December 31, 2018, RMB 80,000,000 as of December 31, 2019, RMB 73,333,300 as of December 31, 2020, RMB 73,333,300 as of December 31, 2021, and RMB 66,666,700 as of December 31, 2022.

The purpose of the project was to help the country’s security and emergency services with different authorities and jurisdictions — including the Office of National Security (ONS), Sierra Leone Police, the Military, Anti-Corruption Commission, Fire Force, Prisons Department, Immigration Department, and Hospitals — to communicate electronically via computers, cell phones and vehicle mounted units.

It involved the installation of a Dedicated Security Information System (DSIS) based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000 technology. The system included 5,500 mobile phones and 1,000 USB modems.

All phone calls on this network were free and fully encrypted to guard against bugging and other malicious cellular interceptions.

There were 33 cell sites, included Magburaka, Makeni, Lunsar, Rosint, Lungi, Mile 91, Bumbuna, Port Loko, Pepel, Rorinka, Rural and Urban Freetown, Moyamba, Bo, Kandi Mountain, Kenema, Kambia Hills and Mano. Communication coverage included all communities within a 5-mile radius of these cell sites.

The project also involved the establishment of a Command and Control Communication Centre to protect national borders, police the country, monitor and manage emergency services effectively. ZTE Corporation was the contractor responsible for implementation. In January 2013, the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone reported that the DSIS project was completed and put in operation.

📋 Staff Comments

The Chinese project title is 塞拉利昂国家安全网项目.
In the database of Chinese loan commitments that SAIS-CARI released in July 2020, it does not identify the grace period or the interest rate of this loan. AidData relies on the grace period (5-years) and interest rate (2%) reported in the China Eximbank loan agreement that supported this project [CHINA EXIMBANK GCL NO. (2011) 18 TOTAL NO. (368) Series No. 1420303052011110701]3. The China Eximbank loan agreement can be accessed in its entirety via https://docs.aiddata.org/ad4/pdfs/how_china_lends/SLE_2011_467.pdf4. The Government of Sierra Leone loan identification (key) number is 2011283. The China Eximbank loan identification number is CHINA EXIMBANK GCL NO. (2011) 18 TOTAL NO. (368) Series No.
Data on disbursements, repayments, and amounts outstanding can be accessed via https://www.thesierraleonetelegraph.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Sierra-Leone-Auditor-General-Report-2018.pdf and https://website.auditservice.gov.sl/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Auditor-General-Annual-Report-2022.pdf and https://website.auditservice.gov.sl/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/assl-auditor-general-annual-report-2016.pdf and https://mof.gov.sl/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Sierra-Leone-Report-on-SOEs-_31st-August-2022-Final.pdf and https://website.auditservice.gov.sl/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Auditor-Generals-Annual-Report-2018.pdf and https://website.auditservice.gov.sl/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Annual-Report-on-the-Account-of-Sierra-Leone-2021.pdf and https://website.auditservice.gov.sl/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Auditor_Generals_Annual-Report-2017_10_1_19.pdf and https://website.auditservice.gov.sl/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Annual-Report-on-the-Account-of-Sierra-Leone-2019.pdf and https://mof.gov.sl/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/FINAL-REPORT-on-SOEs-CLEAN-24TH-APRIL-2024.pdf

📚 Sources & References

Ambassador Kuang Signs Agreement on Concessional Loan with Sierra Leonean Minister of Finance
Ambassador Kuang Weilin Inspects Dedicated Security Information System
Annual Report and Statement of Accounts
Annual Report and Statement of Accounts
Annual Report on the Account of Sierra Leone 2019
Auditor_Generals_Annual-Report-2017
China Eximbank Dedicated Security Information System Project.pdf
China gives out $258million in loans and grant to SaLone
Chinese Loans to Africa Database
Framework Agreement on Concessional Loan to Sierra Leone by China Signed in Freetown
GOVERNMENT CONCESSIONAL LOAN AGREEMENT SIERRA LEONE DEDICATED SECURITY INFO SYSTEM PROJECT, http://portaltoafrica.com/news/africa/finance/us15-million-loan-to-boost-telecom-system-but-no-debate-by-mps/
Network Operating Centre/Switch Room Inspection Tour At State House
Open Data Sierra Leone
Parliament approves USD15m loan to boost telecoms
Report on the Accounts of Sierra Leone for the Financial Year ended 31st December, 2021
Report on the Accounts of Sierra Leone for the Financial Year ended 31st December, 2022
REPORT ON THE OUTSTANDING LOANS/DEBT INCLUDING GUARANTEES OF THE SEVENTEEN STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES
Sierra Leone approves Chinese loan for telecom project
Sierra-Leone-Public-Debt-and-SoEs-Tables-Debt-Transparency-December-2021_August-2022
Sierra-Leone-Public-Debt-and-SoEs-Tables-Debt-Transparency-December-2021_March-2022
Sierratel
Transmittal Letter (For 2016 Financial Year)
Trasnmittal Letter
塞拉利昂国家安全网项目政府优惠贷款协议在塞签署
塞拉利昂国家安全网项目政府优惠贷款协议在塞签署
驻塞拉利昂大使旷伟霖考察塞国家安全网项目 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.