N’DJAMENA, Chad (Reuters) – China has signed multiple agreements with Chad and Senegal involving projects ranging from electricity and infrastructure to drinking water and communications technology at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, the countries’ presidencies said on Wednesday.
The world’s biggest bilateral lender, which is hosting 50 African nations, wants to re-align its relations with developing economies around President Xi Jinping’s new mantra of “small and beautiful projects,” instead of big-ticket infrastructure.
Leading Chinese companies and institutions have signed six memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Chad in the energy, water, agriculture, infrastructure and defence sectors, the Central African country’s presidency said in a statement.
Two MoUs signed with construction and engineering firm CMEC are aimed at improving access to electricity and drinking water in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, the statement said.
Another construction and engineering company, CAMCE, signed MoUs to build an international airport outside N’Djamena and modern integrated farms in four localities.
A project with construction firm CGCOC will aim to reinforce sanitation networks to prevent recurrent flooding in the capital while an MoU with Chinese state-owned defence company CATIC will help reinforce Chad’s military capabilities, the statement said.
In a separate statement, Senegal’s presidency said the West African country had signed around a dozen agreements with China, including on information and communications technology, green development and media.
The statement also said that China’s Xi had announced an unconditional donation of 27 billion CFA francs ($45.80 million) to Senegal.
($1 = 589.5000 CFA francs)
(Reporting by Mahamat Ramadane; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian and Portia Crowe; Editing by Leslie Adler)
