Chinese Government pledges to fund Sao Tomé International Airport Renovation Project (Linked to Record ID#71266, #102438)

In 2017, shortly after the resumption of diplomatic ties between China and Sao Tomé & Principe, the Chinese Government announced that it was willing to fund the Sao Tomé & Principe International Airport Renovation Project.

Then, on April 17, 2019, Gao Jinbao of the Chinese Embassy in Sao Tomé & Principe announced that the Chinese Government would fund the Sao Tomé & Principe International Airport Renovation Project. The renovation is expected to cost $31 million in total.

It will extend the runway from 2,170 to 2,800 meters and develop more parking areas, renew lighting systems, renovate air traffic control management systems, and upgrade the cargo terminal. In August 2019, the Chinese Embassy announced that this project was still being “studied”. On February 21, 2020, China officially pledged to provide financing for the project through a signed agreement.

The transaction amount for the renovations have not yet been disclosed by the Chinese government. The project was expected to begin construction in late 2019 or early 2020.

On June 29, 2022, Hao Qinmei, the business counselor at the Embassy of Sao Tome and Principe, representing the Economic Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, and Elísio Vaz (Ilicio Vas), the Director of Research and Planning of the Sao Tome and Principe Ministry of Infrastructure and Natural Resources, signed an agreement in which China would donate nearly USD 100 million towards the reconstruction of the Sao Tome International Airport (recorded in Record ID#102438).

From an Economist article dated September 29th, 2017, China had pledged Sao Tome $146 million for infrastructure projects like the airport renovation, and a deep-sea container port as part of a 5-year cooperation plan (#71266).