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Chinese Government provides 55 million NAD interest-free loan - through December 2002 ETCA - for Presidential Palace Construction Project (linked to Record ID#s #1255 and #73237)
| Funder | China Ministry of Commerce |
|---|---|
| Recipient Organization | Government of Namibia |
| Country | Namibia |
| Start Date | Jan 01, 2002 |
| End Date | Jul 13, 2030 |
| Duration | 10,420 days |
| Number of Grantees | 1 |
| Roles | Recipient |
| Data Source | AidData Chinese Aid |
| Grant ID | 61299 |
Grant Description
Chinese Government provides 55 million NAD interest-free loan - through December 2002 ETCA - for Presidential Palace Construction Project In December 2002, the Chinese Government and the Government of Namibia signed an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA), which committed a 55 million NAD interest-free loan and an RMB 43 million grant for the Presidential Palace Construction Project.
Under Secretary of Works in the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Kaire Mbuende signed the agreement with his Chinese counterpart, Qiao Zonghua. This project captures the interest-free loan and the linked Record ID#1255 captures the grant.
The Presidential Palace Construction Project involved the construction of a new State House in the Auasblick suburbs outside of Windhoek.
Qingdao Construction Group Corporation and Shenyang Northeast Engineering Construction Development Company were the contractors responsible for building and supervising the presidential residence building on the estate. The North Korean firm Mansudae Overseas Group was reportedly also involved in the construction process.
A construction contract was signed on June 20, 2007, supplementary terms for the construction contract were signed on June 28, 2007. Project construction then began on November 14, 2007. On November 19, 2007, a formal groundbreaking ceremony took place. The project was officially completed and handed over the Namibian authorities on July 13, 2010.
The Chinese project title is 援纳总统官邸项目 or 纳总统官邸项目 or 纳米比亚总统官邸项目.
This project was plagued by accusations of corruption and inflated prices due to the selection of Chinese firms without public tender.
Areas of concern include the exclusion of local construction firms, land expropriations for security purposes, a defamation claim among architects, discrepancies in the national budget, and debate over its prioritization amid other urgent national issues like unemployment.
Staff Comments
On March 28, 2008, the Chinese Government and the Government of Namibia signed an exchange of letters related to the Presidential Palace Construction Project, which may have committed supplemental funding for this project. Since loan terms for the interest-free loan are unavailable, AidData has set maturity period to 20-years by default and grace period to 10-years by default per China's Foreign Assistance White Paper (http://www.cidca.gov.cn/2018-08/06/c_129925064_3.htm) which states that the maturity period of interest-free loans is 20-years, with a drawdown period of 5-years, grace period of 5-years, and repayment over 10-years. AidData treats the drawdown period as providing 5-years of additional grace.
Sources & References
- The Ambassadors of Namibia
- Wei Ruixing and President Pohamba, attended the handover ceremony of the official residence of the Chinese government.
- Building Integrity: Corruption and the Construction Industry
- Chinese Roped in to Build State House.
- Completed the handover of the construction technical materials of the Namibian President’s official residence project
- Namibia: 'No Strings Attached' to China's N$55m State House Donation
- Events in 2007
- 驻纳米比亚大使魏瑞兴和波汉巴总统共同出席中国政府援建的总统官邸竣工移交仪式
- 中国驻纳米比亚大使任小萍出席援纳总统官邸项目换文签字仪式
- 中国驻纳米比亚任小萍大使出席中国援建纳米比亚总统官邸项目开工仪式
- 中国驻纳米比亚大使任小萍慰问我援建纳米比亚新总统官邸项目中方施工人员并祝贺大家新年愉快
- 中国驻纳米比亚大使任小萍出席援纳总统官邸项目换文签字仪式
- Namibia and China: Profile and appraisal of a relationship
- NEW STATE HOUSE FOR NEW NATION Read more: New State House for New Nation https://neweralive.na/new-state-house-for-new-nation
- More questions on new State House complex
- 纳米比亚2007年大事记
- Outline of the Speech by H.E. Ren Xiaoping
- Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Namibia at the Signing Ceremony of the Agreement on the Economic and Technical Cooperation
- Statehouse History
- Issue of New State House Raises Hackles in the NA 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 Namibia
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