New AU conference center takes shape in Ethiopian capital

APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Being built on an area of around 11.3 hectares inside the headquarters of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), the new AU Conference Centre is taking shape, the special correspondent of APA noted on the sidelines of the ongoing 14th Africa Union (AU) summit.

The continuous roar of bull-dozers and other machinery clearing the rough ground, and the constant comings and goings of Chinese and Ethiopian workers on this building site give enough information on the progress of the infrastructure which work started in January 2009, and should be completed by December 2011.

The current premises housing the annual AU meetings were built in the 1960s at the beginning of the creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), predecessor of the AU. It is mainly characterized by its smallness and its inconvenience.

Fruit of the China-Africa Cooperation, the new AU conference centre will particularly house the annual conferences of the Pan-African organisation.

For lack of adequate infrastructure, the AU Commission uses the premises of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) for the purposes of the Union’s annual heads of state and government summit.

The AU Conference Centre under construction is a “gift” from China, AU Commission deputy Chairperson Erastus Mwencha said, adding that the infrastructure has already cost over US$130 million to China.

“China is a partner of Africa and wishes, through this project, to leave its mark on the continent,” Mwencha said, stating that this project is undoubtedly the “symbol of the China -Africa friendship.”

The future AU conference centre includes a 23-storey building that can accommodate more than 500 offices, a 2,000-seat auditorium, a 500-seat conference room and offices for the AU Commission staff.

A five star hotel will also be built, nearby the conference centre, to accommodate the heads of state and government and other guests for the yearly meetings.

The Sino-African cooperation is materialized by the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The last Forum held in November 2009 at Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) gave Beijing the opportunity to announce that it put US$ 10 billion as unsecured loans at the disposal of African countries over a three-year period.