China Eximbank provides $75 million government concessional loan for Phase 1 of Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport Expansion and Modernization Project (Linked to Record ID#67928 and #46970)

China Eximbank provides $75 million government concessional loan for Phase 1 of Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport Expansion and Modernization Project On December 20, 2011, the Chinese Government and the Government of Togo signed a preferential loan framework agreement for Phase 1 of the Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport Expansion and Modernization Project.

Then, on January 16, 2012, the Export-Import Bank of China and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Togo signed a $75 million preferential buyer's credit (PBC) agreement and a $75 million government concessional loan (GCL) agreement the project.

Both loans were to be serviced and secured with revenues from an airport infrastructure development fee (known as 'RDIA' in French).

The proceeds from the PBC and GCL were used by the borrower to finance a commercial contract between Togo’s Ministry of Transport and China Airport Construction Group Corporation (CACC), which was signed in December 2010. The GCL is captured via Record ID#73836 and the PBC is captured via Record ID#46970.

Phase 1 involved the construction of a new terminal, a shopping center, and a hotel at the Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport (AIGE), as well as the construction of a car park with 1,000 spaces; and an expansion of the freight area.

It also included extending the runway by 500 meters, extending the taxiway, reconstruction the existing runway and its drain, renovating and extending the energy stems, the airfield's lights, navigation and meteorological systems, and a transformer substation. Three boarding bridges were also to be constructed.

The 21,000 square meter terminal building was located on the north side of the current terminal, 2.3 times the size of ​​the current terminal. The new terminal had 5 new parking spaces for planes, raising the total number of plane parking spaces to 22.

Upon completion, the airport was expected that the annual passenger throughput of AIGE would increase from 600,000 to 1.5 million and the annual cargo throughput would increase from 10,000 tons to 50,000 tons.

CACC and Weihai International Economic & Technical Cooperative Co. (WIETC) were the contractors responsible for project implementation. Socotec International provided project management services. Togo's Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport was the beneficiary ministry.

The project was launched on December 26, 2011 at a groundbreaking ceremony attended by the President of Togo Faure Gnassingbé, son of former President Gnassingbé Eyadéma. The project passed final inspection at the end of May 2015. The project had a one-year warranty, which ended in April 2016. The new terminal was officially inaugurated by President Gnassingbé on April 25, 2016.