In 2008 the Lake Victoria Free Trade Zone was announced to the world as a transformative investment. Footage from CCTV, the Chinese state broadcaster, shows a meeting between Ugandan officials and Chinese ones in Beijing to confirm the deal. The investment, a partnership between a large Chinese firm and Ugandan investors, was to cover 500 square kilometres (200 square miles) of land. They proposed building a “solar-powered” airport, manufacturing facilities and a distribution hub, as well as homes and agribusiness, all adding up to a new “eco-city”. Some $1.5 billion would be invested in one of the least developed parts of Uganda. It was suggested that thousands of Chinese farmers might settle the land and grow crops for export to China.