Chinese Government provides RMB 13 million grant for Phase 2 of E-Governance Project (Linked to Record ID#55509, #52934, #55898)

On January 10, 2017, the Chinese Government and the Government of Cape Verde signed a preferential loan framework agreement for Phase 2 of the E-Governance Project.

Then, on February 20, 2017, China Eximbank and the Government of Cape Verde signed and RMB 84.5 million government concessional loan (GCL) agreement for the same project.

The loan repayment period is 156 months or 13-years.

The proceeds of the loan are to be used by the borrower to fully finance an RMB 84.5 million ($13 million) commercial contract [ID#00Y1321213000C] between the Government of Cape Verde’s Núcleo Operacional da Sociedade de informação and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., which was signed on September 30, 2015 (captured in Record ID#52934).

The Chinese Government also issued an RMB 13 million grant to the Government of Cape Verde in 2016 for Phase 2 of the E-Governance Project.

Phase 2 involved the upgrading of network infrastructure in schools, public institutions and hospitals, and the installation of computing and storage equipment to support the Government of Cape Verde’s overall e-Government (EGOV) system.

More specifically, it involve the provision of WebLabs equipment, the provision of equipment for the Data Center (which was constructed through a separate China Eximbank loan, captured in Record ID#55509), the laying 16km of fiber optic cable to facilitate the connectivity of schools, and an expansion in connectivity to improve the access of public institutions to the State Private Technological Network (RTPE).

IT Electronic Eleventh Design Research Institute Scientific and Technological Engineering Corporation Limited (a Chinese company), Sichuan Huakai Project Management Co.

Ltd. (another Chinese company) and the Government of Cape Verde’s Núcleo Operacional da Sociedade de informação were responsible for project supervision.

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd and Anhui Telecommunications Engineering Co., Ltd. were the contractors responsible for project implementation.

The telecommunications operators Cabo Verde Telecom and Unitel Tmais, the companies Electra and ADS, the National Police (Policia Nacional), and the City Councils of Santiago Island were also partners in the project. The equipment necessary for the implementation of Phase 2 began to arrive in Cape Verde August 2017.

Equipment installation began in September 2017.

Then, the WebLabs component of the project was completed and handed over to the Government of Cape Verde on March 22, 2018. Phase 2 was officially completed and handed over to the Government of Cape Verde on January 29, 2020.

Beijing also provided a $17 million China Eximbank loan for Phase 1 of the E-Governance Project (captured in Record ID#55509) and another $5 million of funding for a related Network Access Project (captured in Record ID#55898).