Completed Development AidData Chinese Aid

China Eximbank provides RMB 115.9 million government concessional loan (GCL) for Sierra Leone CDMA Network Project

¥115.98M RMB

Funder	Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank)
Recipient Organization	Government of Sierra Leone
Country	Sierra Leone
Start Date	Apr 10, 2007
End Date	Dec 20, 2028
Duration	7,925 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`53`

Grant Description

China Eximbank provides RMB 115.9 million government concessional loan (GCL) for Sierra Leone CDMA Network Project On December 21, 2006, China Eximbank and Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Finance preferential loan framework agreement with the Government of Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Finance.

It specified that China Eximbank would provide a preferential loan for this project and its value would not exceed RMB 133 million.

Then, on April 10, 2007, the China Eximbank and the Government of Sierra Leone signed an RMB 115,984,112 ($20,169,000) government concessional loan (GCL) loan agreement for the Sierra Leone CDMA Network Project.

📋 Loan / Grant Terms

📅 Maturity20 years

⏳ Grace Period5 years

The proceeds of the loan were, in turn, on-lent to Sierratel, a state-owned fixed line telecommunications operator in Sierra Leone.

Under the original terms of the loan agreement, the borrower was responsible for making 30, equal, semi-annual principal payments (each year worth RMB 7,732,274.20).

The (principal) amount outstanding under the loan was RMB 88,921,200 as of December 31, 2015, RMB 81,188,900 as of December 31, 2016, RMB 73,456,600 as of December 31, 2017, RMB 65,724,300 as of December 31, 2018, RMB 57,992,100 as of December 31, 2019, RMB 50,259,800 as of December 31, 2020, RMB 50,259,800 as of December 31, 2021, and RMB 42,527,500 as of December 31, 2022.

The (principal) amount outstanding under the loan was RMB 84,119,922.9 as of December 31, 2025.

The purpose of this project was to purchase Huawei’s fixed-wireless telecommunications equipment and thereby help Sierratel install a 3G (Code Division Multiplex Access, or CDMA) network in the country. The project sought to install 100,000 lines in Freetown and 14 other cities. Huawei was the contractor responsible for implementation.

The project commenced on April 24, 2009 and it was completed. However, its precise completion date is unknown.

📋 Staff Comments

This project is also known as the Sierratel Wireless Local Loop Project. The Chinese project title is 升级塞拉利昂农村电信网项目 or CDMA农村覆盖网络.
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.pdf3. The Government of Sierra Leone loan identification (key) number is 2007281. The China Eximbank loan identification number is GCL No.(2007) 011(182).

📚 Sources & References

China-funded Sierra Leone CDMA Network Starts Operation
China Confirms Assistance to Sierratel
China to help finance Sierratel CDMA network
Sierratel Back With New Hopes
Annex 1: Budget Profile for FY2008-2012
Sierra Leone: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper—Progress Report, 2008–10
Sierra Leone: China Confirms Assistance to Sierratel
主要经济活动回顾
The Dragon's Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa
Africa Research Bulletin - Economic Financial and Technical Series Volume 45 No 7
中国与塞拉利昂签署优惠贷款框架协议
The Dragon's Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa
SierraLeone_2008_Approval_External_EnactedBudget_MinFin_CEN-SADECOWAS_English.pdf
塞利用我优贷开展的首个项目—CDMA农村覆盖网络正式启动运营
Annual Report and Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2009
Debt Management Performance, http://www.cellular-news.com/story/32295.php, http://www.cellular-news.com/story/37292.php, http://tech.163.com/09/0428/00/57UP8S4G000915BE.html, http://www.cctime.com/html/2009-4-28/20094281436163117.htm, http://bintumani.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5739029#post1272535041
Africa’s ICT Infrastructure Building on the Mobile Revolution
Chinese Loans to Africa Database
Transmittal Letter (For 2016 Financial Year)
REPORT ON THE OUTSTANDING LOANS/DEBT INCLUDING GUARANTEES OF THE TEN LARGEST STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES (End-December, 2021)
Trasnmittal Letter
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
Report on the Accounts of Sierra Leone for the Financial Year ended 31st December, 2022
Auditor_Generals_Annual-Report-2017
Annual Report on the Account of Sierra Leone 2019
REPORT ON THE OUTSTANDING LOANS/DEBT INCLUDING GUARANTEES OF THE SEVENTEEN STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES
REPORT ON THE OUTSTANDING LOANS/DEBT INCLUDING GUARANTEES OF THE SEVENTEEN STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES (End-December, 2022)
Annual Report on the Account of Sierra Leone 2023
Semi-Annual Public Debt Statistical Bulletin (Jan to June 2024)
REPORT ON THE OUTSTANDING LOANS/DEBT INCLUDING GUARANTEES OF ALL STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES
ANNEX 9: FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES
FY2023 - 2027
Report on the Accounts of Sierra Leone for the Financial Year ended 31st December, 2021 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.