Chinese company builds, helps manage new residential district in Luanda

Angola's capital city of Luanda, was originally planned to accomodate 350,000 people but now was home to 7.6 million people, the city became one of the most crowded capitals in the world and its downtown areas seemed to have standing room only.

The Angolan government decided to expand the city southward when the country's post-war reconstruction process began in earnest in 2002 when decades of wars came to an end, and hundreds of thousands of local people moved to new and modern residential areas in southern Luanda.

Sequela was one of the newly built residential districts along the southern part of the express way which surrounded Luanda. Constructed by thousands of workers from China's Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group (CTCE), Sequela residential complex consisted of 10,108 flats in 439 high-rise buildings and virtually became a satellite town to Luanda with shops, community service centers, schools, nurseries and other basic infrustructures in place.

The Sequela housing project was handed over to the Angolan side in May 2014 after five years of construction, and now over 60,000 Angolans were living in the district. However, due to financial constraints, the Sequela government failed to contract a local property management company to manage the daily operation of the new town.

Upon the request of the local government and residents, CTCE set up a property management and logistic support center for the new town, with over 100 Chinese workers providing round-the-clock services to local residents.

"We are trying to provide quality and timely services to local residents as part of our efforts to pay back to the Angolan society," said Wen Yongjun, director of the center.

"We not only maintain water pipes, electricity lines and other basic infrastructures, but also conduct repair works for Angolan families," Wen said.

Wen said CTCE was one of the largest Chinese companies which took part in the country's reconstruction process at an early stage, and Sequela was one of its showcase of construction works in Angola.

"We will take good care of Sequela as we take care of our own homeland, " Wen said. Enditem