Active Mixed AidData Chinese Aid

Bank of China provides $41.78 million loan for Phase 1 of Intelligent Urban Video Surveillance System Expansion Project (Linked to Record ID#88178)

$41.78M USD

Funder	Bank of China (BOC)
Recipient Organization	Cameroon Ministry of Defense (MINDEF)
Country	Cameroon
Start Date	Feb 22, 2018
End Date	Aug 10, 2031
Duration	4,917 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`58535`

Grant Description

Bank of China provides $41.78 million loan for Phase 1 of Intelligent Urban Video Surveillance System Expansion Project On February 22, 2018, the Shenzhen Branch of Bank of China and the Government of Cameroon's Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) signed a $41,780,769 (CFA 23 billion) commercial loan agreement for Phase 1 of the Intelligent Urban Video Surveillance System Expansion Project.

📋 Loan / Grant Terms

💰 Loan Amountcarries the following borrowing terms: a 3 year grace period

📅 Maturity15 years

⏳ Grace Period3 years

The proceeds of the loan were to be used by the borrower to finance a commercial contract between the Government of Cameroon’s Délégation Générale à la Sûreté Nationale (DGSN or General Delegation for National Security) and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., which was signed in February 2017.

As of December 31, 2020, the loan had achieved a 100% disbursement rate and its outstanding amount was equivalent to CFA 22.4 billion.

The project involves the installation of 1,500 video-surveillance cameras in various cities and towns and the acquisition of 2,000 portable two-way radios.

During phase 1 of the project, video-surveillance cameras will be installed in the capital cities of the country’s ten regions (Ngaoundere, Yaoundé, Bertoua, Maroua, Douala, Garoua, Bamenda, Bafoussam, Ebolowa, and Buea) as well as the towns of Kribi, Kyé-Ossi. Garoua-Boulaï, Waza, Fotokol, Kousseri and Amchidé.

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. is the contractor responsible for implementation. This project has entered implementation. However, its precise implementation start date is unknown.

On August 22, 2019, DGSN and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. officially inaugurated a national video surveillance command center.

Then, on April 22, 2021, Bafoussam City Council and CAMTEL signed a framework agreement for Bafoussam, the capital city of the West Region of Cameroon, to become a ‘Smart City’.

📋 Staff Comments

This project is also known as Phase 1 of the Cameroon Intelligent City Project. The French project title is Projet d’extension au plan national du système intelligent de vidéo surveillance urbaine or Projet d'extension au plan national du système intelligent de vidéosurveillance urbaine (phase I, 1500 cameras).
In the database of Chinese loan commitments that SAIS-CARI released in July 2020, a $40 million Bank of China loan is identified for this project. SAIS-CARI does not identify the borrowing terms of the loan. The World Bank’s Debtor Report System (DRS) identifies the face value of the loan as $41,781,000. AidData relies on the face value ($41,780,769) and borrowing terms (a 3-year grace period, a 15-year maturity, and an interest rate of LIBOR plus a 3% margin) of the loan that is recorded in a March 2021 publication of the Government of Cameroon’s Caisse Autonome d'Amortissements (CAA). CAA acknowledges in a March 2021 publication that the interest rate that applies to the loan is floating, but it estimates that the interest rate is equivalent to approximately 5%.
For loan and debt rescheduling records with variable interest rates, AidData calculates the all-in interest rate at T0 based on the reference rate (such as LIBOR or EURIBOR) on the loan start date, plus any known margin. Please see the methodology for additional details.
On May 15, 2019, the Bank of China and the Government of Cameroon signed a $41,612,944.52 loan agreement for Phase 2 of the Intelligent Urban Video Surveillance System Expansion Project (captured via Project ID#88178). On December 29, 2021, the Government of Cameroon authorized its Ministry of Finance to negotiate an EUR 50 million loan agreement with China Construction Bank (CCB) for Phase 2 of the Intelligent Urban Video Surveillance System Expansion Project. However, AidData has not yet identified any evidence that a loan agreement was CCB was finalized.
The pilot phase of the Cameroon Intelligent City Project started in August 2014 and consisted of 70 CCTV cameras in six localities.

📚 Sources & References

projet d'extension au plan national du système intelligent de video surveillance urbaine
Note de Conjoncture Trimestrielle de la Dette Publique du Cameroun
THIRD REVIEW UNDER THE EXTENDED CREDIT FACILITY ARRANGEMENT AND REQUESTS FOR A WAIVER OF NONOBSERVANCE OF A PERFORMANCE CRITERION AND MODIFICATION OF PERFORMANCE CRITERIA—PRESS RELEASE; STAFF REPORT; AND STATEMENT BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR CAMEROON
Près de 50 milliards f cfa de la Bank de Chine au Cameroun
MINEPAT's Annual Performance Report (2018), 19th Debt Report
Security: FCFA 22,95 Billion for Expansion of Urban Intelligence Video surveillance Project
Cameroon receives its 2nd video-surveillance command center
SAIS-CARI Loans China
DRS Official Commitments from China through 2020
Bank of China accorde un prêt de 46 milliards de FCFA au Cameroun pour un système de vidéosurveillance urbaine
DOCUMENT DE STRATÉGIE D’ENDETTEMENT PUBLIC ET DE GESTION DE LA DETTE PUBLIQUE 2019
PROJET DE LOI DE FINANCES PROJET DE PERFORMANCE ANNUEL POUR L'EXERCICE 2021
Chinese Loans to Africa Database
Camtel et Huawei dotent la police camerounaise d’un centre national de commandement de vidéosurveillance
Décret N°2021/757 du 29 décembre 2021 habilitant un Accord de Prêt pour le financement de la deuxième phase du Projet d'extension au plan national du système intelligent de vidéosurveillance urbaine
Inauguration-Centre-National-de-commandement-de-la-videosurveillance-1
Huawei to help Cameroon realise tech hub ambitions
Government of Cameroon 2020 Register of Chinese Loans and Borrowing Terms 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.