BOB KARASHANI
Africa-Press – Liberia. Chinese firm CRJE (East Africa) Ltd has been awarded the contract to build headquarters for the African Court on Human and People’s Rights in Arusha, further establishing China’s position as the main backer of recent moves by continental organisations to secure their own premises.
Total cost estimates have been put at Tsh61 billion ($25.79 million), with host Tanzania pledging about Tsh9.4 billion ($3.7 million) to the project. The court said it planned to raise the rest of the money from other “partners”.
CRJE will carry out the project on 24 hectares of land offered by Tanzania in Laki Laki on the outskirts of Arusha and the project is expected to be completed within two years.
The African Court, which was established in 1998, has been a tenant in the Tanzania National Parks headquarters building since it moved its permanent seat from Addis Ababa in 2007, a year after it formally started operating.
However, despite the latest show of commitment, Tanzania’s own relationship with the court has been somewhat rocky, mainly thanks to Article 34 of the protocol establishing the court which gives it the mandate to hear petitions filed directly by individuals and civil society organisations without first exhausting all domestic court channels.
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