DILI, 15 december 2023 (TATOLI) The working group, consisting of the National Petroleum Authority (ANP), the Secretary of State for Arts and Culture (SEAC), and the international company ENI, has stated that it will open a new public tender for the construction of Timor-Leste’s National Library by next year.
“After discussions, we have agreed to reopen the tender for the construction of the national library so that new companies can compete,” ANP President Gualdino do Carmo da Silva told reporters in Timor Plaza, Dili, today.
Gualdino da Silva recalled that the government, through SEAC and the National Petroleum and Mineral Authority (ANPM), opened a tender to the public to build the national library, which was won by Shanghai Construction from China, but Shanghai Construction resigned from that project. SEAC and ANPM opened the public tender again, and Vika Construction from Indonesia won the tender; however, this company also decided to withdraw from the project due to technical reasons.
So far in 2020, the Italian company ENI has donated US$10 million to the National Petroleum and Minerals Authority (ANPM) to finance the construction of the library, and at the same time, the government has allocated US$625,000 for the hedge construction, which was constructed by Jova Construction and completed in 2021.
The National Library is essential for collecting, preserving, and making available intellectual productions, including books, magazines, newspapers, manuscripts, maps, and other materials produced in the country in the national interest. The national library will also be a repository for all printed or digital works deemed relevant to academia and the general public. It will also be a national center for fiction and a platform for Timor-Leste’s worldview and culture.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Rafael Ximenes de A. Belo
