Active Mixed AidData Chinese Aid

China Eximbank provides $301 million preferential buyer’s credit for N’djili Airport Terminal Construction Project

$301.1M USD

Funder	Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank)
Recipient Organization	Government of Democratic Republic of Congo
Country	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Start Date	Nov 26, 2019
End Date	Feb 19, 2028
Duration	3,007 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`58761`

Grant Description

China Eximbank provides $301 million preferential buyer’s credit for N’djili Airport Terminal Construction Project On November 26, 2019, China Eximbank and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a $301,098,000 preferential buyer’s credit (PBC) agreement for the N’djili Airport Terminal Construction Project.

📋 Loan / Grant Terms

📅 Maturity20 years

⏳ Grace Period7 years

💹 Interest Rate2%

The loan is secured with revenues that are generated by an airport tax (called “GoPass”) and deposited in an escrow account ("compte séquestre").

The borrower is expected to use the proceeds of the PBC to finance approximately 85% of the cost of a $354,680,000 commercial (EPC) contract between Régie des Voies Aériennes de la République Démocratique du Congo) (RVA) and Weihai International Economic & Technical Cooperative Co., Ltd. (WIETEC), which was signed on September 16, 2013.

The cash balance of the escrow account was $6.64 million as of December 31, 2022 and $6.53 million as of December 31. 2023.

The purpose of the project is to construct a new airport terminal — with an area of 40,617 m2 including a ground floor for arrivals — at N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa.

The project also involves the installation of check-in counters, arrival and departure baggage rooms, public areas, shopping centers, a foundation, and a parking lot (with the ability to accommodate 1200 vehicles).

Weihai International Economic & Technical Cooperative (WIETC) was originally identified as the main EPC contractor responsible for implementation.

However, Chengdu Xinghua Engineering Service Co., Ltd (成都兴华工程服务有限公司) was also identified as a contractor involved in implementation (most likely as a subcontractor). A foundation-laying ceremony took place on May 2, 2018.

As of May 2020, the DRC’s Minister of Transport Didier Mazengu Mukanzu reported to Parliament that the project’s technical and topographical studies and feasibility studies were 80% complete. By September 2020, the project design process was complete and implementation was expected to start by the end of 2020.

As of December 2020, all of the necessary materials and equipment were on-site to begin construction but project implementation had stalled due to the fact that the Congolese Government had not met its counterpart funding commitment. China Eximbank was also withholding loan disbursements.

In August 2021, Alphonse Shungu, the Director General of the RVA, reported that the project had only achieved a 9.21% completion rate.

Then, in 2021 and 2021, Qatar Airways Group (QAG) reportedly prepared a major contract for the renovation and management of three strategic airports in the DRC: N'djili International Airport, Ndolo Airport and Lubumbashi Airport. The feasibility studies were entrusted to the Dutch company NACO, which specializes in airport infrastructure.

The two parties, who signed a memorandum of understanding in March 2021, agreed on a public-private partnership (PPP) under which QAG would shoulder the cost of renovating and updating the three airports on its own, in exchange for managing it for an unspecified length of time (perhaps as long as thirty years).

Under these terms, RVA would no longer manage these airports, depriving it of the bulk of its revenues, especially of the highly controversial ‘go-pass’ tax that travelers have to pay.

By September 2022, the Congolese Government was reportedly looking to end its partnership with WIETC for the construction of the new N'djili airport. Then, on June 8, 2023, the Congolese Government terminated its construction contract with WIETC.

The Chinese company responded by notifying the Congolese Government of its intention to pursue dispute resolution through international arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce. (ICC) in Paris.

It also warned the Congolese Government that, until an arbitral award was issued by the ICC, WIETC would enjoy contractual rights to access and use the project work site.

As of January 2024, the Congolese government entrusted the Turkish company Milvest, a subsidiary of Miller Holdings, to oversee the resumption of the project with an anticipated start date before September 2023. However, the new implementation arrangement was not approved until March 25, 2024. The project is anticipated to be complete within a two year timeline.

📋 Staff Comments

Some sources refer to this project as the N’djili and Luano Airport Terminals Project, noting that the cost of constructing the new N’djili Airport Terminal is $354,680,000 and the cost of constructing the new Luano Airport Terminal is $201,131,205. It is unclear if China Eximbank or another financier is supporting the construction of the Luano Airport Terminal. This issue warrants further investigation.
The World Bank’s Debtor Reporting System (DRS) records $602,196,254 of borrowing by the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo from official sector lenders from China in 2019. However, for the time being, AidData only records a single borrowing (for the $301,098,000 PBC for the N’djili Airport Terminal Construction Project) in 2019. This discrepancy merits further investigation.
The Chinese project title is 的金沙萨国际机场航站楼项目 or 金沙萨恩吉利国际机场航站楼现代化项目 or 金沙萨恩吉利机场新建航站楼和配套工程 or 刚果（金）金沙萨恩吉利机场改扩建项目. The French project title is Projet de construction et équipement de la nouvelle aérogare de l’aéroport de N’djili.
N’djili Airport is also known as N'Djili International Airport and Kinshasa International Airport. Luano Airport is also known as Lubumbashi International Airport.
WIETC reportedly provided $10 million of pre-financing for the N’djili Airport Terminal Construction Project. This issue warrants further investigation. See https://www.mediacongo.net/article-actualite-124138_l_affaire_de_la_resiliation_du_contrat_de_construction_du_nouvel_aeroport_international_de_n_djili_degenere_le_chinois_wietc_ira_en_arbitrage_a_la_chambre_de_commerce_internationale_de_paris.html6. The time-stamped cash balances in the escrow account are drawn from https://dgdp.cd/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/RAPPORT-ANNUELLE-version-2.pdf and https://web.archive.org/web/20250225142713/https://dgdp.cd/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DGDP-RAPPORT-ANNUEL-2023.pdf

📚 Sources & References

Kinshasa N'djili International Airport
RDC : Déjà 20 millions USD déboursés par le gouvernement pour la construction de la nouvelle aérogare de l’aéroport de N’djili
Enquête/RVA : les mystères de la future « nouvelle » aérogare de NDjili
La Chine en RD Congo : présence économique, financements et les créances
N'djili Airport Runway
N'djili Airport Runway
China Aid Bouenza Hydropower Station Maintenance Project
来了！2019年中刚合作成果盘点（三） —迈向2020
Dette due à Exim-bank pour les aérogares de N’Djili et de Loano
Claudel Lubaya réclame une enquête judiciaire
Dossier EximBank of China-RDC : le président de la République a-t-il été induit en erreur ?
A LA UNERDC : 354 millions USD pour construire en trois ans la nouvelle aérogare de Ndjili !
机场
金沙萨恩吉利国际机场
Dette due à Exim-bank pour les aérogares de N’Djili et de Loano
Claudel Lubaya réclame une enquête judiciaire
金沙萨恩吉利国际机场, actualite.cd
RDC : 555 millions USD de l’IDEF pré-affectés au remboursement d’un prêt d’EximBank of China
Lubaya Claudel André @LubayaClaudel
Le ministre des Transports interpellé ce lundi à l'Assemblée nationale
Les responsables
Dette due à Exim-bank pour les aérogares de N’Djili et de Loano
Claudel Lubaya réclame une enquête judiciaire, 5 ans au service de la reconstruction et de la modernisation: Projet de cooperation Sino-Congolais
驻刚果（金）大使朱京考察中刚合作项目和中资企业
设计之约丨热带雨林的白蝴蝶——刚果（金）金沙萨/恩吉利国际机场航站楼
威海国际经济技术合作股份有限公司金沙萨恩吉利机场项目
Construction d’une nouvelle aérogare à N’Djili
RVA : le D.G. Alphonse Shungu tient à livrer l’aérogare de N’Djili d’ici 2023
La construction de la nouvelle aérogare de laéroport de Ndjili na toujours pas démarré
Annual Report of Public Debt 2019
DIRECTION GENERAL DE LA DETTE PUBLIQUE
DRS Official Commitments from China through 2020
BANQUE CENTRALE DU CONGO
金沙萨国际机场
Eximbank of China n’a rien décaissé pour les aérogares de N’djili et de Luano
RDC: l’aéroport de N’djili, l’interminable chantier
Enquête/RVA : les mystères de la future « nouvelle » aérogare de NDjili
Nouvelle aérogare à l’aéroport de N’djili : ça sent le détournement, et Lubaya exige la lumière sur ce prêt improductif d’Exim Bank !
Dossier nouvelle aérogare de Ndjili : C.Lubaya exige une enquête indépendante sur la créance de 555 millions USD due à EXIM-Bank
Construction de la nouvelle aérogare à l’aéroport de Ndjili : l'accord de prêt entre la RDC et Eximbank n’est pas encore entré en vigueur
Construction de la nouvelle aérogare à l’aéroport de Ndjili : l’accord de prêt entre la RDC et Eximbank n’est pas encore entré en vigueur
Qatar Airways Group fine-tunes its plans for Congolese airports
L’affaire de la résiliation du contrat de construction du nouvel aéroport international de N’djili dégénère, le chinois Wietc ira en arbitrage à la chambre de commerce internationale de Paris
Kinshasa Airport modernization project
Kinshasa Kdjili Airport expansion project to start soon
N'djili-Kinshasa (DRC) Airport Expansion, a gateway to the future
RAPPORT ANNUEL DE GESTION DE LA DETTE PUBLIQUE 2023 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.

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Government of Democratic Republic of Congo

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