French agree to billion-$ package

NAMIBIA and France last week signed an agreement on financial aid of 120 million Euros (N$1,2 billion) to Namibia over the next five years.

The money will be used in the areas of education, infrastructure development, environmental protection, good governance, promotion of cultural diversity and teaching of the French language, local economic development and support for civil society. The agreement was signed by the French Deputy Minister for Co-operation, Jean-Marie Bockel, and National Planning Commission Director General Helmuth Angula in Windhoek.At a reception held at the Franco-Namibia Cultural Centre in honour of Bockel’s visit, the French Deputy Minister said Namibia had achieved a lot since Independence, adding that the FNCC where Namibians can learn French was a true expression of good co-operation between the two countries.At the same occasion, Angula said Namibia faces enormous challenges and one of them was poverty – 35 per cent of the population lives on less than one US dollar a day.”Indeed the Namibian Government is appreciative of your government’s decision to select Namibia as a target country for extending your development co-operation in Southern Africa,” said Angula.This, he said, came at a time when official development assistance to Namibia was declining and the French aid was not tied to conditions.”We regard tied aid as dehumanising hence we resist such assistance because we consider it as imposition by stronger nations on weaker ones.Tied assistance is a form of economic colonialism, therefore it should be resisted,” he said.The agreement was signed by the French Deputy Minister for Co-operation, Jean-Marie Bockel, and National Planning Commission Director General Helmuth Angula in Windhoek.At a reception held at the Franco-Namibia Cultural Centre in honour of Bockel’s visit, the French Deputy Minister said Namibia had achieved a lot since Independence, adding that the FNCC where Namibians can learn French was a true expression of good co-operation between the two countries.At the same occasion, Angula said Namibia faces enormous challenges and one of them was poverty – 35 per cent of the population lives on less than one US dollar a day.”Indeed the Namibian Government is appreciative of your government’s decision to select Namibia as a target country for extending your development co-operation in Southern Africa,” said Angula.This, he said, came at a time when official development assistance to Namibia was declining and the French aid was not tied to conditions.”We regard tied aid as dehumanising hence we resist such assistance because we consider it as imposition by stronger nations on weaker ones.Tied assistance is a form of economic colonialism, therefore it should be resisted,” he said.