The 18th African Union summit meeting in Ethiopia's capital began with the unveiling of the organisation's new headquarters.
The African Union new headquarters was inaugurated at an official ceremony on 28th January, 2012. Standing on what was once Ethiopia's oldest maximum security prison,the entire complex was built on 100,000 sq m of land donated by the Ethiopian government.
Following the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, the 200 million USD building, is the Chinese government’s largest African construction aid project on the continent. The building was designed by the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tongji University with China State Construction Engineering Corporation, using building materials largely brought from China. Construction began in June 2009 and involved a mix of Chinese managers and mostly Ethiopian laborers.
As part of an ongoing initiative to develop ties with Africa China's most senior political adviser, Jia Qinglin, attended the opening of the new headquarters, stating: “The towering complex speaks volumes about our friendship to the African people, and testifies to our strong resolve to support African development.”
The building symbolizes China's major stake in Africa - bilateral trade between the Asian nation and the continent reached over $120 billion in 2011, a jump from less than $20 billion a decade earlier. Until recently, the AFP reports, China focused mainly on bilateral relations, the new building suggests a push to foment multilateral links.
Leaping fountains grace a plaza at the front of the building next to a golden statue of late Ghanaian leader Kwame Nkrumah and the first-laid stone of an African Union memorial for Human Rights. The site boasts three conference centres, a helipad and office space for 700 people.
