Completed Development AidData Chinese Aid

Huizhou Municipal Government provided grant for Samoa Culture and Arts Center Construction Project (Linked to Record ID#64048)

Funder	Huizhou Municipal Government
Recipient Organization	Samoa
Country	Samoa
Start Date	Nov 10, 2015
End Date	Sep 09, 2031
Duration	5,782 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`65359`

Grant Description

On November 10, 2015, Prime Minister of Samoa Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi and the Mayor of Huizhou Mai Jaiomeng signed an MOU on Friendly Cooperation between the cities of Huizhou and Apia.

As part of this agreement, Huizhou Municipal Government pledged to provide a grant for the construction of a Samoa Art and Cultural Centre, which will include an Opera House, art exhibition hall, and recreational zone.

More specifically, the Samoa Culture and Arts Center Construction Project involved the construction of a recording & audio-visual studio, three conference facilities, a theatre that can house 100 performers and 500 seats, a VIP lounge, cultural exhibition/performance area, artists’ workshop & display & marketing spaces, four training rooms, and a library (including facilities for persons with disabilities).

The center was build on the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture grounds in Malifa, Samoa. The site covers a land area of 9,224 ㎡and a total floor area of 4,375 ㎡.

The project implementers -- the Bureau of Housing, Urban and Rural Planning, and Construction of Huizhou Municipality -- worked with the Government of Samoa to agree on procedures and the final design plans. The project implementers visited Apia in November 2017 and construction was originally expected to start in early 2018.

On May 11, 2018, Chinese Ambassador Wang Xuefeng attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the China-Samoa Friendship Park and Samoan's Art and Cultural Center Project.

Then, on July 20, 2018, Wang Xuefeng and Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa signed a cooperation framework agreements for both the Friendship Park and Cultural Center (as captured via Record ID#64048).

The project’s originally scheduled completion date of June 2020 was extended to October 2020 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. As of March 2021, the project remained incomplete with an estimated completion rate of 95%. A final project handover certificate was issued on May 28, 2022.

📋 Staff Comments

1. The Chinese project title is 建文化艺术中心和中萨友谊公园项目.

📚 Sources & References

Opera house planned for Samoa cultural centre
Samoa signs MOU with China’s Huizhou City
Ground-breaking ceremony for China-Samoa Friendship Park and Arts and Culture Centre
驻萨摩亚大使王雪峰出席惠州援建中萨友谊公园和文化艺术中心奠基仪式
驻萨摩亚大使王雪峰同萨总理图伊拉埃帕签署关于援助建设萨摩亚阿皮亚友好公园项目和文化艺术中心项目合作框架协议
Approved Estimates of Receipts and Payments of the Government of Samoa for the Financial Year Ending 30th June 2019, 2019-20 First Supplementary Estimates of Receipts and Payments of the Government of Samoa for the Year Ending 30 June 2020, 2018-19 First Supplementary Estimates of Receipts and Payments of the Government of Samoa for the Year Ending 30 June 2019
Building of Chinese funded Samoa Arts Centre underway
Approved Estimates of Receipts and Payments of the Government of Samoa for the Financial Year Ending 30th June 2020, facebook
Pandemic leaves Chinese projects incomplete
Chinese projects' new year delay
SAVALI ISSUE 31: DATED 5 AUGUST 2020
SAVALI 31: ASO 5 AUKUSO 2020
巢小良大使就中萨建交46周年接受《萨摩亚观察家报》专访
PRESS RELEASE: Samoa Visit of the State Councilor and Foreign Minister of the Peoples’ Republic of China H.E Mr. Wang Yi, 27-28th May 2022;
Annual Report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the period of 1st July 2017 to 30th June 2018
Speech by Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi at the signing of the Framework Agreement with the People’s Republic of China for the Arts & Culture Centre and the Friendship Park. July 20th 2018
Chinese-funded projects face delays due to pandemic
Chinese-funded projects face delays due to pandemic
No completion date for china projects
Bilateral Talks Leads to Practical On the Ground Benefits for Several Sectors
Bilateral Agreements/ Exchange of Notes
Annual Report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the period of 1st July 2019 to 30th June 2020 Loan applications and disbursements are still being received and processed as the projects continue to evolve. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are in place to ensure project continuity.