The government of São Tomé e Príncipe has publicly invited bids for the contract to build a port at Fernão Dias on the northern coast of the island of São Tomé, STP-Press reports.

The São Toméan state-run news agency says the deadline for the submission of bids is January 20.

The report quotes São Toméan Minister of Public Works Osvaldo D’Abreu as saying a public-private partnership will be in charge of the project.

Mr D’Abreu said he believed the port could serve all of central Africa as a transhipment point for cargo entering or leaving the region.

The depth of the water at the port must be at least 16 metres so the facility can accommodate ships that displace up to 30,000 tonnes, STP-Press says.

In February STP-Press quoted Mr D’Abreu as saying the São Toméan and Chinese governments were discussing the port project.