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By Groum Abate - Capital
22 May, 2007
The Chinese Government and the African Union signed a 150 million dollar agreement for the office expansion project of the AU, located in Addis Ababa.
The former Addis Ababa City Government Mayor, Arkebe Oqubay, at a ceremony held in July 2004 had announced a land grant title deed worth 28 million dollars for the AU.
Subsequently, the AU had not utilized the plot because of lack of finance.
The city cleared the area for the expansion project shortly after it granted the plot. The state penitentiary was among the demolished buildings on the site.
Sources told Capital that Dr. Eng. Wubishet Berhanu, and two representatives from the AU traveled to China to sign the agreement.
The plot would be used to satisfy the office expansion needs of the AU and for the construction of residential houses for the Deputy Chairperson and the eight Commissioners as well as for building chanceries and residences.
Construction work on the site was launched last week.
The Chinese government is to fully finance the cost of the buildings estimated to be worth around 150 million dollars.
Arkebe had said during the handing over ceremony of the plot, “The City Government is committed to upgrading the city's facilities, infrastructure and service delivery up to international standards so as to live up to the trust our African brothers and sisters placed upon us by making Addis Ababa the headquarters of the African Union.”
He said one of the key objectives of all-round urban renewal initiatives that the city is engaged in is to raise the city's standard to match its status as the capital of the Federal Government and as the seat of the African Union and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
In related news, the Chinese Government appointed its first ambassador to the AU, Ambassador Liu Guijin, as its special representative on African affairs, last week.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said that as a veteran diplomat, Ambassador Liu is well aware of African affairs and once served as the Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Director-General of the Department of African Affairs and the Chinese Ambassador to South Africa. Ambassador Liu will make relentless efforts to strengthen our work on Africa, maintain close contact with African countries and regional organizations, and promote continuous development of China-Africa relations. Given that the Darfur issue arouses wide concern among the international society, it will be a major focus for the work of the special representative.
The AU is a pan-African organization whose goal is to propel a united continent
towards peace and prosperity.
The AU supports political and economic integration among its 53 memb