The AU Gets Its Conference Center

By Ma Liwenbo
[Ethiopia] Fantahun H. Michael

On the Ethiopian Highlands, known as the “Roof of Africa”, and across the skyline of capital city Addis Ababa, you can see more than mountain ranges. A majestic tower and a ring-shaped conference center rise on the horizon, sending the message of an Africa full of prospects. It is the new headquarters of the African Union (AU), built with Chinese assistance – African Union Conference Center and Office Complex (AUCC).

The AU plays a vital role in maintaining and promoting peace and stability on the African continent, implementing reform and poverty reduction strategies, and spearheading Africa’s development.

The construction of AUCC has provided the AU with modern infrastructure to play its role better. It is also a symbol of the wishes of the Chinese for the development and rejuvenation of Africa.

AU Wishes for a Conference Center

The AU was founded in July 2002, succeeding the Organization of African Unity (OAU) set up in 1963. A continent-wide political, economic, military, cultural and social entity, the AU currently has 55 members.

Since its establishment, the AU has been pushing its member states to strengthen their infrastructure, attract foreign investment, seek assistance and facilitate the economic integration of the continent as well as Africa’s proactive integration into the globalization process.


The AUCC

The AU leaders’ annual summits are where the major decisions are taken. However, before the AUCC was built, the largest conference room at the old AU headquarters could accommodate fewer than 500. Consequently, the AU had to borrow the conference center of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, which accommodates 800 people, for its summits.

But even this venue would be very crowded. During key meetings, some people had to stand against the walls. There were scenes of reporters asking questions to the AU chairman while sitting on the floor.

The AU was keen to have its own spacious, modern and comprehensive conference center to end the history of borrowing places for its summits.

When the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held its leaders’ summit in Beijing in November 2006, the leaders discussed the development of Sino-African relations and the solidarity and cooperation of developing countries. A new AU conference center was on the agenda. In response, China announced that it would build the center free as a gesture of friendship to buttress African countries’ self-reliance and integration.

The Conference Center Is Ready

On its 10th anniversary, the AU moved into its new “home”.

The AUCC has multiple functions, providing offices, conference venues, receptions and media center venues and even a medical emergency center. It has the same standards as the conference centers of international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union.

The delegates were overjoyed.

They would no longer have to whisper in the corridor outside the meeting room. They could talk freely in the small meeting rooms or VIP meeting rooms, or in the Grand Conference Hall large enough to accommodate more than 2,500 people.

The conference center is equipped with high-speed internet access, advanced simultaneous interpretation equipment, microphones and voting machines. The remote conference equipment, live recording and video equipment and other equipment help to ensure backup for minutes of cross-regional meetings.

There are state-of-the-art giant screens. When a delegate speaks, the camera automatically trains on him and beams the image on the screen for the audience to see him clearly.

The high-quality services of this comprehensively equipped modern conference center enables delegates to discuss key issues and make important decisions that have a profound impact on the African continent.


A bird’s eye view of the AUCC under construction

During the intervals between meetings, they can move to the atrium and enjoy the glorious legend of the African continent as shown by the sculpture Soaring on the wall of the main entrance hall.

The AUCC has witnessed a series of important AU conferences and the adoption of several major resolutions.

In 2013, the 21st AU Summit passed the Solemn Declaration on the 50th Anniversary of the OAU/AU, demonstrating Africa’s determination to turn the 21st century into an African century.

In 2014, the 24th AU Summit reviewed the report on the initiation of the “Tripartite Free Trade Agreement” negotiations.

...

In 2019, at the 32nd AU Summit, discussions were held on the issues of African refugees and the construction of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

As one of the most important public buildings in African history, the AUCC has become a local landmark. Since many of the streets in Addis Ababa are not named yet, people are using the center to figure out directions.

Harmony in Architecture

The center complex has a harmonious architecture and is U-shaped, symbolizing the future of Africa held in both hands. The ellipsoid conference hall is surrounded closely by other buildings, conveying the solidarity of the African countries and AU’s radiometric force. The main office building is 99.9 meters tall, a reference to the official founding of the African Union on September 9, 1999.

A lot of advanced construction techniques and materials were used to build the AUCC to reflect an environmentally friendly and energy-saving architectural concept.

A steel structure was adopted for the building so that the ellipsoid structure of the conference hall would look exquisite and light. Curved steel beams in varieties allow enough light to pass through windows and so there is no need for artificial lighting and air conditioning throughout the hall.

In fact, except for a few conference halls, there is no air conditioning in the public spaces including the main building, nor is there any need for artificial lighting. The use of natural wind and light makes the building energy-saving.

In the rainy season, the capital gets heavy rain, sometimes accompanied by hail. However, the waterproofed walls of the ellipsoid and the annular atrium have withstood the test, fully meeting the design requirements.

The chief designer of the project is Ren Lizhi, chief architect of Tongji Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd. Although this building, so popular with Africans, was designed by Chinese architects, the design team made an in-depth study of African cultural backgrounds and the AU’s role, and invited the African students at Tongji University to participate in the discussions on the project. The team solicited the students’ opinions and suggestions on the architectural plan, getting better acquainted with Africans’ aesthetic preferences in architectural forms and colors. Combined with a further understanding of the building’s functions and the overall relationships, the team adjusted and optimized the architectural forms of the conference hall.


The grand conference hall of the AUCC

The regional characteristics of Africa and Africans’ aesthetic inclinations were fully represented in the finalized design. It was unanimously accepted by the Chinese and AU authorities and won the bid.

Inside the center, the art wall of the foyer is eye-catching. The sculpture on the wall, called Soaring, was specially designed for the AU, symbolizing the rising African spirit just as the rising sun soars above the fertile soil. The AU’s metal logo symbolizes solidarity, peace and progress, and the flaming halo going up conveys hope, development and inexhaustible vitality. With the sculpture in the background, the foyer is a favorite place of many leaders and their top choice to take a group photo after a meeting.

This African building constructed to facilitate Africa’s development has won the hearts of Africans. Everyone has given it the thumbs up, be it on TV, in newspapers or on the web. A local official said: “I was amazed on the day it was completed. I don’t have words to praise it.”

Concerted Efforts for the Summit

The climate in Ethiopia is as clear and distinct as the building in that there are only two seasons, the rainy season and the dry season. Part of the construction materials for the conference center had to be imported and there were three full rainy seasons during the 30-month construction period, which made it very difficult to complete the work as scheduled.

To ensure the construction of the project and speed it up, the local authorities helped to get the imported construction materials as well as a supply of construction workers. With the concerted efforts of all parties, the AUCC was successfully completed!

In addition to ensuring the quality of construction, it is also very important to operate the center well and maintain it. After its completion, the Chinese technical assistance team stayed on and continued to provide technical support and help to train local technical personnel to ensure the normal operation of the center’s facilities and equipment, and the smooth convening of important meetings.

With the help of the assistance team, more and more local technicians have taken on the task of the maintenance of the AUCC.

Assistant engineer Olliges is such a local technician. At first, when he faced complex electrical problems, Olliges floundered. But with the encouragement and guidance of the technical team, he has worked hard to gain electrical knowhow, learned from the technical experience of the Chinese technicians and eventually became an electrical expert at the center.

The power system of the center went out of order in the middle of the night several times because the municipal power supply was unstable. To ensure that the meetings scheduled for the next day would be held without any hitch, Olliges, who lived nearby, arrived at the scene immediately and worked with the Chinese technical experts to troubleshoot. With numerous experiences of ensuring that conferences were held as scheduled, his technical proficiency has improved enormously.

To make the local people able to ensure on their own that the conferences at the center were held smoothly, the technical team took each conference as a field-based training session and taught them skills and technologies hands on. When there were no meetings, the team would train local frontline operators and maintenance workers. So far, more than 260 Ethiopian technicians and skilled workers have been trained and over 2,000 jobs have been created.

A local operator said: “In order to communicate with us and facilitate our learning, the engineers have been learning our language. While I have mastered more and more skills, they have become better at language.”

Before the delegates enter the venues, the simultaneous interpretation devices in the conference halls are on, the elevators are waiting for instructions, the giant screens at the venues are working, the network and communication signals are ready, and the security system is fully activated. With the joint efforts of the technical staff of both China and the AU, the AU Conference Center has begun to operate like a sophisticated automated machine.


The facade of the AUCC

The AU’s first summit of the year is held around the Chinese Lunar New Year. In order to ensure it convenes smoothly, the Chinese technicians have to be at work and cannot observe the festivities with their families.

Zhang Suoxin, a 54-year-old resident technician, has not been able to celebrate the Spring Festival with his family who are back in China for seven consecutive years since the center was handed over and started operating. “I will do my uttermost to prevent anything from going wrong and to ensure the convening of the summit,” he said.

In order to ensure the grand reunion of the heads of African countries, the Chinese personnel of the technical team have sacrificed their small reunions with their families time and again.

“That’s a big ship!”

“No, it is a big door!”

“No, it’s more like a capsule!”

It was three Ethiopian children arguing over what the AUCC looked like.

No matter what the building complex looks like, for Africa, it stands for a brighter future. This vast land once nurtured the oldest human civilization. Today, the Chinese and the Africans are working together for an even better future.

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Project Overview

The AUCC is the Chinese government’s largest assistance project for Africa after the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Project. It was designed by the Tongji Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd. while China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd. was the builder.

The AUCC is in Addis Ababa. Its total area is about 110,000 square kilometers and the floor space is 50,537 square kilometers. The office building is 99.9 meters tall with one underground floor and 20 floors above ground. It has a grand conference hall with 2,500 seats, a medium-sized conference hall with 697 seats, small conference halls, VIP conference rooms, a multifunctional hall, an emergency medical center and a digital library.

The AU Chairperson, the Chairman of the AU Commission and the leaders of several African countries have said that the China-assisted AUCC embodies China’s deep friendship with Africa and its staunch support for Africa’s self-reliance.