Murmurs as Chinese clinches Sierra Leonean airport deal

China has agreed to finance the construction of a new airport for Sierra Leone, as part of efforts to boos its presence in the West African country.

An engineering team from leading Chinese construction group, China International Railway Group, which is said to have been awarded the contract, is in the country to conduct some ground work ahead of the actual construction work. But there are murmurs on the awarding of the country.

So far, the Sierra Leone government has refused to disclose the cost of the project saying that “preliminary work” was still on-going. It has also failed to come clear if this is part of three major projects announced by President Ernest Bai Koroma a few months ago, which involves the construction of a new airport, a bridge linking the capital Freetown to the current airport, and a new city.

Insiders say that the Chinese funded airport will be located in Mamamah, a small town located in the outskirts of the capital.
Apart from solving this chronic problem of transportation, the new airport is expected to transform the area around its location into a major business district, providing employment for hundreds.
Substandard work
China is presently one of Sierra Leone`s major development partners, with its investment ranging from construction to agriculture to education and mining, among others.

In Sierra Leone, Chinese companies have been under criticism for “substandard” work.