The construction of the Sierra Leone Tropical Infectious Disease Prevention & Control Center Project undertaken by BUCG as EPC general contractor with assistance offered by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army was commenced in December, 2017. Through intense construction for more than six months, it has been completed recently. On July 5, 2018, the handover ceremony was held in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. More than 200 persons including President of Sierra Leone Maada Bio, Chinese Ambassador in Sierra Leone Wu Peng, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Ministry of National Defense of Sierra Leone, Major General Taluva and other military and government senior officials in Sierra Leone, Chinese military representatives including Senior Colonel Wang Feng et al. as well as the representatives of Chinese-funded enterprises and institutions attended the handover ceremony.  

Witnessed by President Maada Bio, Chinese Ambassador in Sierra Leone Wu Peng and Vice Minister of the Ministry of National Defense of Sierra Leone Simon N.Sheriff jointly signed the handover certificate.

Ambassador Wu Peng pointed out in the speech, “As a milestone event, the completion of the Sierra Leone Tropical Infectious Disease Prevention & Control Center symbolizes the situation that the cooperation of both armies in China and Sierra Leone has stepped on a new stage.”

President Maada Bio made a speech, showing gratitude to Chinese army for offering assistance in the construction of the Sierra Leone Tropical Infectious Disease Prevention & Control Center. He pointed out, “The Tropical Infectious Disease Prevention & Control Center has greatly improved the level of coping with epidemic situation and disease prevention & control in Sierra Leone, and it is also the witness of traditional friendship in both countries. With a long history of friendship among the armies in Sierra Leone and China, the cooperation in the health field is also long-standing. Hopefully, both countries may take this opportunity to make greater achievements in the cooperation in the health field.”

Finally, President Maada Bio and Ambassador Wu Peng jointly unveiled the monument to the project, and cut the ribbon for the project. The Tropical Infectious Disease Prevention & Control Center is another construction aid project for the prevention and control of tropical infectious disease following P3 Laboratory aided by China for Sierra Leone during the Ebola epidemic. The engineering construction quality and speed of BUCG was unanimously acclaimed by President Maada Bio and the guests attending the ceremony, thus a good enterprise image of BUCG has been set up. (Lai Youzhi)