Completed Development AidData Chinese Aid

Chinese Government provides RMB 200 million grant — via February 2018 ETCA — for the Tunisian Diplomatic Academy Construction Project

¥200M RMB

Funder	China Ministry of Commerce
Recipient Organization	Government of Tunisia
Country	Tunisia
Start Date	Feb 06, 2018
End Date	Nov 28, 2026
Duration	3,217 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`56414`

Grant Description

On December 22, 2016, the Chinese Government and the Government of Tunisia signed an agreement regarding a feasibility study for the Tunisian Diplomatic Academy Construction Project.

Then, on February 6, 2018, the Chinese Government and Government of Tunisia signed an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA), which officially committed RMB 200 million in grant funding from the Chinese Government for the Tunisian Diplomatic Academy Construction Project.

On June 20, 2018, the Prime Minister of Tunisia Youssef Chahed ratified exchange of letters for the project (via Decree n° 2018-571).

The purpose of the project is to construct a diplomatic academy building for Tunisia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs that will train Tunisian diplomats, as well diplomats from the rest of Africa. The building is designed to cover 12,000 square meters.

It will include computer and audio classrooms, academic lecture halls, books and multimedia reading rooms, and administrative offices.

The facility also contains foreign language learning centres for Tunisian diplomats and offers Arabic courses to foreign diplomats such as Chinese, sub-Saharan Africans and Westerners.

The grant proceeds from the ETCA were also to be used to furnish the building with office equipment, furniture, and multimedia digital teaching equipment. The building (project site) is geographically adjacent to the University Campus of El Manar in the city of Tunis.

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (中國土木工程集團有限公司) is the contractor responsible for implementation. Chinese Government representatives met with a project inspection team on August 3, 2018.

Then, on August 23, 2018, the Government of Tunisia and the Chinese Government signed a project implementation agreement. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 3, 2019 and President of Tunisia Beji Caid Essebsi attended. It was originally expected that the academy would be completed by the end of 2020.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused several delays in project implementation because it prevented the arrival of personnel and materials.

However, implementation continued with a mask mandate, increased sanitation, temperature checks, and limits on travel (so thorough that most Chinese workers were unable to leave the construction site's camp for over 10 months).

On October 30, 2020, the final cement pouring at the construction site took place and the building’s roof was installed. The project was ultimately completed in December 2021. An official project handover ceremony took place on April 28, 2022.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Othman Jerandi, Chinese Vice-Minister of Commerce Qian Keming, and China's Ambassador to Tunisia Zhang Jianguo attended the handover ceremony.

Upon completion, the building was named after former President Essebsi, who passed away sometime after the groundbreaking ceremony.

On November 24th, 2023, it was announced that the academy will be inaugurated in early 2024, after which it will begin official activities.

📋 Staff Comments

The French project title is Projet de l’Académie Diplomatique or Projet de l’Académie diplomatique pour les études et la formation or Académie diplomatique Béji Caïd Essebsi. The Chinese project title is 援突外交培训学院项目 or 外交培训学院项目 or 突尼斯外交培訓學院項目.
Given that this project was financed through an ETCA, AidData assumes that China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) was the specific Chinese Government institution responsible for the provision of the RMB 200 million grant.

📚 Sources & References

LES RELATIONS TUNISO-CHINOISES
突尼斯总统埃塞卜西出席援突外交培训学院项目开工仪式
中国援突尼斯外交培训学院项目实施协议签订
汪文斌大使出席中国援突尼斯外交培训学院项目实施协议签字仪式
突尼斯外长朱海纳维会见援突外交培训学院项目专业考察组
Tunisie: le ministre des Affaires étrangères visite le projet de l'Académie diplomatique réalisé par la Chine
Décret gouvernemental n° 2018-571 du 20 juin 2018, portant conclusion d'un échange de lettres relatif à la réalisation du projet de l'académie diplomatique de formation et des études entre le gouvernement de la République Tunisienne et le gouvernement de la République Populaire de Chine.
Accord entre la Tunisie et la Chine pour la création d'une Académie diplomatique
突尼斯项目部受邀出席援突外交培训学院开工仪式
通讯：中国援建突尼斯外交培训学院项目防疫复工两手抓
突尼斯总统出席援突尼斯外交培训学院项目开工仪式
突尼斯总统出席中国援建突外交培训学院项目开工仪式
Republic of Tunisia
President of Tunisia attends the groundbreaking ceremony of the China-Aided Diplomatic Training Acad
Accueil / Mission / Pays d'accréditation / Relation bilatérale
LE MINISTRE DES AFFAIRES ÉTRANGÈRES RENCONTRE LE VICE-MINISTRE CHINOIS DU COMMERCE
Jort N° 052/2018 - Version Française
中国援突尼斯外交培训学院项目实施协议签订, بناء الأكاديمية الدبلوماسية التونسية سينطلق في ماي القادم بتمويل صيني ( مدير الأكاديمية )
Tunisian FM visits project site of China-aided diplomatic academy
Tunisia open to Chinese investment: senior official, بتمويل صيني: انطلاق أشغال الأكاديمية الدبلوماسية للتكوين والدراسات في الفترة القادمة
Accord entre la Tunisie et la Chine pour la création d'une Académie diplomatique
中国与突尼斯举行援突外交培训学院项目交接仪式
Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Migration and Tunisians Abroad of Tunisia signs the intergovernmental handover certificate of the Chinese government-aided Tunisian Diplomatic Academy project
援突尼斯外交培训学院项目交接仪式成功举行
中国与突尼斯举行援突外交培训学院项目交接仪式
Tunisia
China celebrate handover of China-aided diplomatic academy
The upcoming inauguration of the International Diplomatic Academy of Tunis at the center of a working meeting in La Kasbah
International Diplomatic Academy to soon be inaugurated
Tunisia
China celebrate end of works of Tunisian Diplomatic Academy
Tunisia
China celebrate handover of China-aided diplomatic academy
Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Migration and Tunisians Abroad of Tunisia signs the intergovernmental handover certificate of the Chinese government-aided Tunisian Diplomatic Academy project
商务部与突尼斯外交、移民和侨民部签署中国政府援突尼斯外交培训学院项目政府间交接证书
Ambassador Zhang Jianguo inspects the Tunisian Diplomatic Training Academy project
L'Académie diplomatique internationale de Tunis sera officiellement inaugurée début 2024. C'est ce qui a été décidé, jeudi, lors d'une réunion tenue au Palais du gouvernement à la Kasbah, sous la présidence du chef du gouvernement Ahmed Hachani 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.