China-Africa Co-operation: News and Discussions

[ahojunk]

China-built school inaugurated in South Sudan
2017-01-15 10:10 | Xinhua | Editor: Li Yan

Authorities in South Sudan's central state of Jubek have inaugurated Jubek Model Secondary School built with support from the Chinese government.

The new school located in the suburb of Gudele, west of the South Sudanese capital of Juba, is built using a grant of 8 million U.S. dollars provided by China to construct two schools in South Sudan.

The 2,200-square-meter facility comprises of 16 class rooms that accommodates about 1000 students, running water and a 24 hours solar power.

Jubek State Governor Augustino Jadalla Wani said Friday the new school is going to fight congestion in public schools and also reduce the cost of traveling long distance by secondary school students.

He lauded Beijing's efforts to continue seeking lasting peace and stability in South Sudan, adding that China's support to South Sudan's oil, construction and education sectors would help shore up the young East African country into prosperity.

"Lack of public schools in the capital has been a major problem to our children because most schools are located east of Juba. I sincerely congratulate and thank the People's Republic of China for this great offer. I hope this school is going to be among the best schools in the whole country," Wani said.

Minister of Education Wani Sule advised the school management to maintain the modern facilities with proper, cautioning the local community against theft of solar panels and other property.

On his part, Zhang Yi, Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan said the successful completion of the project signals China's good and sincere friendship with South Sudan.

Zhang revealed that China had contributed toward construction of two other Schools (Yapa and China Friendship Secondary schools) in Jubek state, totaling to three China-aided secondary schools.

In addition to building schools, the Chinese government will embark on capacity building for South Sudanese teachers, Zhang pledged.

 

[ahojunk]

Why China-built electric railway linking landlocked Ethiopia to sea matters to Beijing and Africa

The 750km line, which began trial services last October and was launched on Tuesday, seen as important milestone in Beijing’s growing presence and influence in Africa

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 11 January, 2017, 11:31am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 11 January, 2017, 10:58pm

Trial services on the railway line began last October and regular services transporting goods and passengers are expected to begin early this year. Photo: Xinhua

A US$3.4 billion electrified railway line built by China was officially launched on Tuesday to link the Horn of Africa to its inland countries.

The line connects the strategic Red Sea port of Djibouti and Addis Ababa, the capital of landlocked Ethiopia, the fastest growing economy in Africa.

Trial services began last October and regular services transporting goods and passengers are expected to begin early this year.

Here we take a look at why the project matters, to both the region and to China.


How can the project benefit the region?

The 750km-long railway will play a key role in regional economic integration and Africa’s integration into the global economy, providing landlocked countries with faster access to the sea.

With a maximum speed of 120km/h for cargo trains and 160km/h for passenger trains, the railway line is expected to link Addis Ababa and Djibouti in about 12 hours. This is a far cry from the strenuous trip along a congested, potholed road that currently takes about three days.

More than 90 per cent of Ethiopia’s trade passes through Djibouti, which accounts for about 70 per cent of the activity of its port, according to Djibouti’s International Free Trade Zone.

As the first fully electrified railway in Africa, the line is also widely seen to be a start of a Trans-African railway project, in which a 2,000km track will be expected to connect Djibouti with Ethiopia to South Sudan, which could one day cross the continent from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. But the railway will have to pass through war-torn countries such as South Sudan and the Central African Republic.


What is the project’s significance to China?

The launch is seen as an important milestone in China’s increasing presence and burgeoning influence in Africa. Beijing is seeking to play a larger role in the mostly undeveloped continent that used to be under the dominance of the West.

It is the second trans-national railway built by Chinese companies in Africa, following the Tanzania-Zambia Railway.

The line also opens the door to more Chinese investment in the region.

He Wenping of the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said it could serve as an example for future railway projects in Africa and facilitate Chinese exports of rail equipment and machinery, as well as encouraging Chinese firms to build housing projects along the line.


Why is Djibouti strategically important to China?

Djibouti, the smallest state in the Horn of Africa, sits on the bank of the Bab-el-Mandeb, a 30km-wide strait between Africa and the Arabian peninsula, connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It serves as a gateway to the Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest, and a strategic link between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Djibouti also serves as a gateway for trade with other inland African countries, such as Ethiopia, Africa’s fastest growing economy.


What are the other Chinese projects in Djibouti?

China is a major investor in Djibouti, with many Chinese state-owned companies launching infrastructure projects in Djibouti.

These include a US$590 million multi-purpose port, a cross-border pipeline that channels drinking water from Ethiopia, a US$4 billion natural gas project, which features a natural gas pipeline from Ethiopia, a liquefaction plant and an export terminal in Djibouti.

Most of Djibouti’s 14 major infrastructure projects, which have been valued at a total of US$14.4 billion, are being funded by Chinese banks, according to Agence France-Presse.

China has also set up its first overseas naval base in Djibouti, although Beijing insisted that it was only a logistic hub for China’s escort task force in the Gulf of Aden. The 36 hectare outpost is seen as a crucial step in China’s pursuit of its ambition to become a major global power.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as:
China’s Rail line is on path to prosperity for Africa
.

 

[ahojunk]

Chinese-funded Silkroad Int'l Bank opens in Djibouti
By xuxin (Xinhua) 08:48, January 19, 2017

Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh (3rd R) cuts the ribbon during the opening ceremony of the Silkroad International Bank in Djibuti City, Djibouti, Jan. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Siyu)

Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh (C) attends the opening ceremony of the Silkroad International Bank in Djibuti City, Djibouti, Jan. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Siyu)

 

[艹艹艹]

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2017-02/03/content_28090126.htm
Zimbabwe seeks Chinese funding to develop ICT infrastructure
Xinhua | Updated: 2017-02-03 10:25

HARARE - The Zimbabwean government has requested funding from the Chinese government to develop information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in remote parts of the country.

Information Communication and Technology and Courier Services Minister Supa Mandiwanzira said this after meeting Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe Huang Ping on Thursday.

State-run news agency New Ziana quoted the minister as saying that Zimbabwe would repay the money borrowed from China through revenue collected under the Universal Services Fund (USF).

"The discussion with His Excellency, the Chinese ambassador has therefore been how we can access resources which we guarantee repayment through the inflows to the Universal Service Fund," the minister was quoted as saying by New Ziana.

He said the Zimbabwe government was grateful for the support it had received from China Exim Bank to develop ICT infrastructure in the country.

He added that the government was looking forward to additional support to roll out Internet infrastructure throughout the country.

Licensed telecommunication companies in Zimbabwe contribute 1.5 percent of their gross annual turnover to the USF which is administered by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ).

The Fund's purpose is to provide financial resources for expansion of the country's telecommunications networks to reach marginalized communities in rural areas.

"One of the areas China and Zimbabwe need to strengthen is telecommunication. In China we have a saying that if you want to get rich, build the roads first. And I think telecommunications is the road connecting people, not only in this country but to the whole world," the ambassador said.

A few years ago, China Exim Bank gave Zimbabwe's fixed telephone network provider TelOne a $98 million concessionary loan to expand its infrastructure and another 218 million dollars to government-owned mobile phone company NetOne to upgrade its network.

Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies undertook both projects.

 

[ahojunk]

Chinese-backed real estate investment launched in Kenya
2017-02-18 02:18:09 Xinhua Web Editor: Zhang Peng

File photo of a building in Nairobi, Kenya. [Photo: china1baogao.com]​

Chinese investors have taken key shareholding in a major regional shopping and urban development project launched in Nairobi Friday, aiming to tap into Nairobi's growing international status as an aviation hub and a center for commercial enterprise.

The Two Rivers Investment Project, which consists of five star hotels, office blocks, residential homes and shops occupied by major retail enterprises, was launched at a ceremony attended by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa and investors.

"The construction of this shopping mall is a sign of Kenyan companies steadily spending despite the sluggish economic growth around the globe. The joint effort of the Kenyan and Chinese investors saw us reach this tangible achievement within a short time," Liu said at the launch.

"I am proud of the Chinese side for their contribution to this project. It is a sign of the remarkable cooperation between China and Kenya in the various fields, including financial services, people-to-people exchanges, media and education and the development of think-tanks," Liu said.

President Kenyatta termed the new shopping complex an "iconic development" which showcases the potential that exists between local and international investors.

"It is a wonderful development we have here," Kenyatta remarked.

The Two Rivers Investment is undertaken by listed Kenyan company, Centum Group; China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corporation and Jiangxi Water and Hydropower Construction Co. ltd (JWHC) have jointly invested 38.89 percent stake.

Upon completion, the investment would cost 800 million U.S. dollars, covering 400,000 square metres of land, covered with retail shops and with a capacity of 50,000 shoppers.

"For the first time, Chinese investors are investing directly. This is the biggest investment project for Chinese companies in Kenya's commercial and urban development," Liu said.

Meanwhile, Nairobi County Governor Evans Kidero said the launch of Two Rivers Mall, a combined urban development project, was part of the city's master-plan to establish urban satellite cities.

"It is one of the largest shopping complexes out of the 27 malls we have in this city. Nairobi has become the international mall destination," Kidero said.

 

[Martian2]

China disburses $30bn to Africa | AfricaNews

"The most populous nation in East Asia, China has disbursed nearly $30 billion to assist African countries in different projects as its pledges to be the most reliable partner in improving agricultural development and industrial development in the continent."

 

[JSCh]

Mar 09, 2017 03:56 PM
State-Owned Telecom Subsidiary Looks to Africa to Reverse Its Fortunes
By Teng Jing Xuan, Qin Min and Zhang Erchi

After years of slowing profit growth in a crowded domestic telecommunications market, China Communications Service Corp. Ltd. is hoping a massive infrastructure project in Africa will reverse its fortunes.

In the 1980s and ’90s, the state-owned enterprise was instrumental in developing China’s first long-distance communications backbone, nicknamed “bazongbaheng” — Mandarin for “eight verticals and eight horizontals” — which linked the fiber optic networks of the country’s provincial capitals for the first time.

Now China Communications wants to bring a bigger version of bazongbaheng to Africa — the Trans Africa Information Superhighway.

The information network will be a mammoth undertaking, covering an area three times the size of China. It will pass through 48 countries and 82 major cities, requiring as much as 200,000 km of cable and an initial investment of more than $10 billion.

China Communications, the infrastructure subsidiary of China Telecom, has the support of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and has reached agreements with a number of African governments and Chinese industry partners over the Trans-Africa network in the past couple of years.

Now the company faces the challenge of coordinating contracts across dozens of countries, attracting funding, and managing operations while simultaneously trying to ride out a slowdown in telecom infrastructure investments back home.



--> State-Owned Telecom Subsidiary Looks to Africa to Reverse Its Fortunes - Caixin Global

 

[onebyone]

Africa will triple its urban population 500 million to 1.5 billion in 2050 will need China to help avoid mass slumification
March 24, 2017

The proportion of Africans living in urban areas soared from 15 percent in 1960 to 40 percent in 2010. It's projected to hit 60 percent in 2050. Against that backdrop, the big challenge for government policymakers is how to harness urbanization for sustainable and inclusive growth.

"There is a high rate of rural-urban migration, and an increasing number of slums and squatter settlements in urban areas across Africa," Obitou says. "This kind of migration has brought shortages of adequate housing, basic infrastructure and services - in addition To contribute to overcrowding and congestion, and increasing exposure to environmental hazards. However, with proper planning, we will be able to manage our urbanization process.

Africa will go from 1.2 billion people today to about 2.5 billion in 2050.
The urban population will go from about 500 million today to 1.5 billion in 2050.

China, during its rapid urbanization, was able to successfully controlled the number of slums, for example.

In most of the African countries, extreme poverty is more prominent in rural areas than in urban centers; hence, urbanization seems to be an effective method for providing better services and livelihoods to millions of Africans - as abrations in China - he says.

According to the world Bank, a cornerstone of China's urbanization strategy has been the hukou or household registration system to control migration, and trying to channel migrants to small medium-sized cities.

Another key element is the devolution of public services and many administration functions to city governments. In 2005, Chinese citizens' degree of satisfaction with local governments rose to 72 percent - surplus higher than in many other countries, including the United States.

China can help Africa to strengthen its city management and planning, so that cities do a better job of looking ahead and improved congestion, pollution and the emergence of urban slums.

China will also likely expand its funding and construction of infrastructure and large scale construction processes in Africa.



Across Africa, Chinese companies are building highways, railways, sports stadiums, mass housing complexes, and sometimes entire cities.

But China isn’t just providing the manpower to fuel quickly urbanizing African cities. It is exporting its own version of urbanization, creating cities and economic zones that look remarkably similar to Chinese ones.

Since 2005, Chinese businesses have invested an estimated $120 billion in sub-Saharan Africa. And don't expect China's focus on Africa to decrease over the next decade.

According to South China Morning Post, China's central government and state-owned banks will help finance $1 trillion in projects in Africa through 2025 -- 70-80 percent of which will come from the Export-Import Bank of China -- with a specific focus on infrastructure projects.


http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/03/africa-will-triple-its-urban-population.html

 

[Shotgunner51]

Pursuing the China Dream through Africa: Five Elements of China’s Africa Strategy
By Paul Nantulya April 6, 2017

China’s expanding involvement in Africa is an integral piece in President Xi Jinping’s grand strategy to restore the country to its perceived rightful place of global prominence.

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation in 2015. Established in 2000, the FOCAC summit meets every 3 years. In between summits, a follow-up committee of Chinese and African institutions implements and monitors a wide range of programs. (Photo: GCIS.)

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States is generating inevitable comparisons of the two countries’ approaches to engaging the world. China’s expanding involvement in Africa provides a revealing window into Beijing’s grand strategy. Africa is an integral element of Xi’s “China Dream”—a blueprint for restoring the country to its perceived rightful place of global prominence. Part of the blueprint entails positioning China as a leader in the developing world through expanded bilateral and multilateral engagements. China advances these aims in Africa in five primary ways:

1. Economic engagement

China’s economic involvement with the continent has steadily expanded over the past decade. Beijing operates approximately 2,500 development, civil works, and construction projects worth $94 billion in 51 African countries. While it is not clear how many of these have reached completion beyond ceremonial pledges, the visible presence of huge infrastructure projects across the continent is unmistakable. In 2009, China surpassed the United States as Africa’s largest trading partner, and by 2015, China’s trade with Africa had reached $300 billion. Crude oil, raw materials, and natural resources constitute more than 80 percent of its roughly $93 billion in annual imports from Africa. Observers have also criticized the transactional nature of some of China’s engagements, where China seems primarily interested in accessing and exploiting Africa’s vast natural resources.

2. Military interests

China in 2015 was the second largest supplier of weapons to sub-Saharan Africa after Russia, accounting for 22 percent of arms transfers to the region.
​

For years, China’s leaders dismissed external military deployments as “a characteristic of Western imperialism.” China, they said, “does not interfere everywhere like the hegemonists do.” But in 2008, the Chinese Navy made its first operational deployment outside the Asia-Pacific region to the Gulf of Aden to support the UN–sanctioned anti-piracy task force. Then Beijing deployed a warship supported by ground and air assets to evacuate 35,000 Chinese nationals from mounting violence in Libya in March 2011. In 2016, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) installed troops, assets, and support staff in Djibouti, its first permanent overseas deployment since 1949. And in 2017, the first aircraft carrier built in China will enter service. All of these moves are in line with the “New Historic Missions” doctrine, which calls for an expeditionary capability that can, among other things, safeguard growing Chinese interests on the continent, maintain a naval presence in the western Indian Ocean, protect its merchant ships from piracy, and support China’s growing participation in UN missions in Africa.

In 2015, China passed a counterterrorism law that for the first time authorizes the PLA’s deployment on overseas counterterrorism missions. The PLA has also established itself as an active security partner through military-to-military contacts based on training and education programs, military advisors, arms sales, and construction of military facilities and ministries of defense headquarters. China in 2015 was the second largest supplier of weapons to sub-Saharan Africa after Russia, accounting for 22 percent of arms transfers to the region.

3. UN peacekeeping

China is now the second largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping and commits more troops to missions than all other members of the Security Council combined. With these contributions has come a greater say at the UN.​

China’s role in UN peacekeeping operations has grown from 400 troops in 1990 to 22,000 in 2013. That year, the Diversified Employment of China’s Armed Forces—China’s strategic defense guidance—established UN peacekeeping operations as a “strategic Chinese priority.”

Initially, Chinese troop deployments in Africa were strictly non-combat, such as medical specialists and engineers, and to low risk areas. Since 2012, however, the PLA has been sending combat troops to high risk theaters, with an infantry company in northern Mali and an infantry battalion to South Sudan. Currently, about 2,500 Chinese troops and police officers are deployed in UN missions across the continent, with the largest deployments in South Sudan (1,051), Liberia (670), and Mali (402). In 2015, China pledged 8,000 additional troops toward a Chinese Peacekeeping Standby Force that will be placed at the service of UN peacekeeping operations. Beijing also committed itself to the UN’s new peacekeeping capability readiness system and allocated $1 billion over 10 years to a UN peace and development fund. China also allocated $100 million in new funding to the African Union’s rapid deployment capability.

China is now the second largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping and commits more troops to missions than all other members of the Security Council combined. With these contributions has come a greater say at the UN, such as the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. China is particularly sensitive about how its expanded military presence is perceived. During his 2015 UN address, president Xi asserted that “China will never pursue hegemony, expansion, or sphere of influence.” Managing this perception is essential for realizing the greater influence envisioned in the China Dream, given deepening tensions with China’s immediate neighbors.

4. Political party training

Political party training is another element of China’s Africa policy. Managed by the Central Party School, the programs consist of lectures in ideology and party building, exposure to Chinese culture, field visits and mentorship of African political leaders, and deployment of Chinese party officials to the continent as political advisors. These programs date back to the 1960s in support of African anti-colonial movements, but they have now been extended to include political parties that do not have a background in liberation movements. They are also highly technical, including hands-on training on how to establish organizational structures, ideological work, propaganda systems, and party administration. According to the Chinese Communist Party, the goal of these programs is to “educate fraternal African political parties on China’s experience in economic development and political governance.” This has led some to criticise the training for reinforcing authoritarian models that might exacerbate instability on the continent.

The Chinese model stresses the subordination of the military and government to party control—a dynamic that makes the security sector vulnerable to politicization at the expense of professionalism.​

While numbers are not easy to come by, available data suggests that these programs have expanded in scope. The ruling parties of Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe are all major training partners of the Central Party School. South Africa’s African National Congress alone sent four groups of 56 members of its top organs for training between 2008 and 2012. Recently the training was expanded to include “next generation leaders” through the Sino-Africa Young Political Leaders Program. More than 200 Africans graduated from the program between 2011 and 2015, and Beijing has said that it would increase this intake to 1,000 by 2018.

While many ruling elites are enthusiastic about these programs, some African observers see problems in their wholesale application to the African context. The Chinese model, for instance, stresses the subordination of the military and government to party control—a dynamic that makes the security sector vulnerable to politicization at the expense of professionalism. This is particularly problematic in Africa given the persistence of personality-based political parties and governing styles. As many have suggested, the “party army” approach can be an especially harmful model in divided societies, where the security sectors are designed to serve individual political leaders as opposed to the nation.

5. Soft power

In 1993, “soft power with Chinese characteristics” became a core policy concept to support the goal of restoring China’s global prominence. It amplifies non-coercive tools—diplomacy, party-to-party building, strategic communications, and preferential access to the Chinese market—as tools of strategic influence, educational, scientific, and cultural exchanges. China’s effort to portray its rise as “peaceful” allows it to explore strategically focused relations without relying on military power, an approach that enhances Beijing’s global stature. Funding the construction of the $200 million AU headquarters as a “gift to Africa from China” is one practical example of how Chinese soft power is employed in support of strategic objectives. The architect of this concept, Wang Huning, has advised all Chinese leaders since Jiang Zemin, and he has been tapped to join the Politburo Standing Committee, China’s highest leadership organ.

China’s engagement with Africa is a critical element in an evolving global strategy that has at its core the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” This is part of a foreign policy that is highly competitive with other countries and that seeks to be adept at exploiting opportunities.

Africa Center Experts

• Assis Malaquias, Professor and Academic Chair, Defense Economics and Resource Management
• Paul Nantulya, Research Associate
• Raymond Gilpin, Dean
• Kate Almquist Knopf, Director

Additional Resources

• Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Princeton N. Lyman, Jianhua Zhong, and John Goodman, “Where Beijing, Washington, and African Governments Can Work Together,” Foreign Affairs, March 3, 2017.
• Assis Malaquias, “China is Angola’s New Best Friend, for Now,” in Marcus Power and Ana Christina Alves, China and Angola: A Marriage of Convenience? Pambazuka Press, 2012.
• Yun Sun, “Political Party Training: China’s Ideological Push in Africa?” Brookings Institution, July 5, 2016.
• Bob Wekesa, “China’s Africa Policy 2015: New Policy for New Circumstances,” Africa/China Reporting Project, University of Witwatersrand, December 24, 2015.

http://africacenter.org/spotlight/china-dream-five-elements-china-africa-strategy/

 

[samsara]

Djibouti's Doraleh Port officially opens

Source: Xinhua | 2017-05-24 23:32:39 | Editor: huaxia

Construction workers take family photo at Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port of the Port of Djibouti. (Xinhua)​

DJIBOUTI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The opening ceremony for Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port of the Port of Djibouti was held here Wednesday, with Djibouti's President Ismael Omar Guelleh, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and Chinese Ambassador Fu Huaqiang present.

Hu Jianhua, executive vice president of China Merchants Group, said in his remarks: "With the completion of Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port, more cargo will be shipped to neighboring countries from the Port of Djibouti."

The panorama of Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port of the Port of Djibouti. (Xinhua)​

China will implement other projects in Djibouti, including building a free trade zone, upgrading old docks and constructing an industrial zone, he said.

Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port is constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), and is so far the largest port project by Chinese construction companies in northeast Africa.

The opening ceremony of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC). (Xinhua)​

The port, with a contract amount of 421.7 million U.S. dollars and designed handling capacity of 7.08 million tons a year, is also CSCEC's first hydraulic project in Africa and its largest hydraulic project overseas so far.

The project officially started in August 2014. Chinese construction workers overcame tremendous difficulties such as the scorching heat and austere working conditions, and finished building the port in March 2017, creating the astonishing "Djibouti speed."

China's Yangshan Deep Water Port in Shanghai constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC). (Xinhua)​

Due to its convenient geographic location of connecting Asia to Europe and Africa by sea, Djibouti has become an important link in the Asian, African and European markets, as well as a transport hub on the west line of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

The opening of Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port will not only provide an important foothold for Chinese enterprises exploring the African market, but also bring new hope of great economic development for Djibouti.

* * * * *

Location of the Doraleh Port, Naval Bases and the nation of Djibouti

 

[JSCh]

Chinese firm to build Kaduna refinery, source crude from Niger Republic

• 21 hours ago
• Sheriff Adaji-Ogb

Kaduna State government has signed agreement with a Chinese company to build a refinery in the state, which will use crude oil from Niger Republic via a 400-kilometre pipeline from Niger to Kaduna.

Governor Nasir el-Rufai disclosed this when he returned from the Asian country, where he led a business delegation to.

A statement by the governor’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, said the proposed refinery is a 50,000 barrels per day capacity one and that representatives of the Kaduna Refinery Consortium and the China Machinery Engineering Corporation, CMEC, signed the agreement on the project this week in China.

While the governor signed for the Kaduna consortium, Li Mingqiang, signed for CMEC.

Aruwan noted that during the trip, the Kaduna State team also signed a tripartite memorandum with the government of Hebei province and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC.

Signed on May 22, the agreement commits the three parties to facilitate exchanges and cooperation in the areas of economy, trade, energy, infrastructure, technology, culture, education, tourism and health.


Nigeria: Chinese Firm to Build Kaduna Refinery, Source Crude From Niger Republic - allAfrica.com

 

[$@rJen]

How did a $12 million Chinese built bridge collapse in Kenya?
by Briana Duggan, CNN

Updated 1029 GMT (1829 HKT) July 4, 2017

$12 million Chinese-built Sigiri bridge in Western Kenya collapsed before it was completed. President Uhuru Kenyatta inspected the project two weeks before the collapse.
Story highlights

• President Uhuru Kenyatta recently inspected the $12 million Sigiri bridge
• It was built in the West Kenya region that has been ignored by successive administrations
• President Kenyatta's Jubilee Coalition is prioritizing infrastructure ahead of August presidential election.

(CNN)It was an embarrassing collapse for Kenya's ruling party.

On June 26, just two weeks after an "inspection" by President Uhuru Kenyatta, a $12 million Chinese-built Sigiri bridge in Western Kenya collapsed before it was completed.
Built by the Chinese Overseas Construction and Engineering Company in Busia County, the bridge connects a region that has historically lacked government investment and development. Around a dozen people died on the river after a boat capsized while attempting to cross in 2014.
President Kenyatta's Jubileee Coalition has made infrastructure development a key pillar of its reelection strategy ahead of the coming presidential election.



On June 14, he made a campaign stop at the Sigiri bridge construction site and spoke to crowds gathered along the river.
He promised the bridge would bring development that the region had been denied for decades.
"There is a big difference between those who will sell to you propaganda and people who will sell to you real agenda for change," President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a statement posted on the Presidency website.

Photos: Kenya's $50 billion megaprojects
Highways – Highways are another key component of Lapsset, with hundreds of kilometers of pristine, new road laid to facilitate transport of goods and people.

The Isiolo -- Marsabit -- Moyale stretch (above) has been completed, connecting to Ethiopia, and facilitating travel to Kenya's safari parks.
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Photos: Kenya's $50 billion megaprojects
Resort cities – The LAPSSET project will also see three resort cities constructed in Lamu, Isiolo and Lokichogio.

The new sites will be pitched at affluent visitors -- with luxury hotels, entertainment and wildlife reserves.
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Photos: Kenya's $50 billion megaprojects
Konza Tech City – The much-hyped Konza Tech City - or "Silicon Savannah" - is hoped to be a world-class hub of entrepreneurship.

The $15 billion site, set in 5,000 acres to the south of Nairobi, will accommodate almost 200,000 people, complete with universities, research facilities, and IT centers.
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Photos: Kenya's $50 billion megaprojects
Konza Tech City – Several delays have marred the project and discouraged some investors, but the government maintains the site will be operational in April 2017.
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Photos: Kenya's $50 billion megaprojects
Geothermal energy – Kenya has embraced geothermal energy in a big way, aiming to serve one-quarter of its energy needs through this source.

New ventures such as the Ol-Karia IV power plant (pictured) make it one of the world's leading producers, and investment is set to increase.
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Photos: Kenya's $50 billion megaprojects
Isiolo airport – Apart from Jomo Kenyatta, several smaller airports are undergoing major upgrades.

The provincial Isiolo airport is receiving a new terminal building and a new runway, in anticipation of higher visitor numbers.
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Photos: Kenya's $50 billion megaprojects
Two Rivers Mall – The largest mall in East Africa will open in Nairobi in March. The 62,000 square meter facility will include housing, hotels, office space and -- of course -- extravagant shopping.
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Photos: Kenya's $50 billion megaprojects
Mombasa rail station – Kenya is already an infrastructure powerhouse of East Africa -- leading the region for investment. But the next few years may see a quantum leap forward, with tens of billions of dollars to be spent on some of the world's most spectacular transport, energy and technology projects -- such as the new Mombasa rail station (above).

Through a program entitled Kenya Vision 2030, the government hopes to deliver a "newly industrialized, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by 2030."

Whether this ambitious goal will actually be achieved remains to be seen. But the following ventures certainly bear the potential to transform the landscape.

 

[$@rJen]

They should have thought in the first place.

my god look at the size of the bridge!! it costs 12 Million USD

 

[soundHound]

if the bridge shown in picture is worth 12 million $ then they have been robbed in daylight, am not going to comment on why it collapsed, people should be wise enough to figure out themselves.

 

[Sine Nomine]

my god look at the size of the bridge!! it costs 12 Million USD

I was thinking same it's not even 100 meter.