The Central African Republic and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a US$11.44M grant to finance the modernization of Bangui M’Poko International Airport, located seven kilometers northwest of Bangui, the capital of the Central African country.
The agreement was initiated by the Central African Minister of the Economy, Planning and Cooperation, Félix Molou, and the country manager of the AfDB, Mamady Souaré.
Mamady Souaré welcomed the signing of the agreement, reflecting “the excellent cooperation” between the Central African Republic and the AfDB. He also sent the government a personal message of support from the president of the Bank to the Central African people.
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2nd phase modernization of the Bangui-Mpoko International Airport
In particular, the agreement concerns the second phase modernization of the aforementioned airport (PAMAB II) which aims to consolidate the role of air transport in serving the Central African Republic through secure, safe, efficient airport services and quality, in accordance with international standards.
The activities selected within the framework of PAMAB II concern the improvement of airport safety and quality, facilitation and signage as well as support for the aviation sector. The project will therefore make it possible to upgrade the terminal, improve passenger control, baggage handling, and better equip the freight area.
Besides the airport infrastructure upgrade, PAMAB II will also include training of a sufficient number of qualified inspectors, preparing technical regulations and appropriate procedures, and setting up a quality assurance or an equivalent internal audit system.
Complementing PAMAB I
This phase completes PAMAB I that consisted of the partial development of the terminal and it also supports the country’s National Civil Aviation Authority projects. The entire airport modernization project has a budget of some US$18.36mn, including the national contribution.