Pohamba attends Franco-African summit

AFRICAN foreign ministers, including Namibia’s Minister Marco Hausiku, will gather in the French city of Cannes tomorrow to attend the Franco-African Summit organised by the French government under the theme ‘Africa and the World Equilibrium’.

President Hifikepunye Pohamba will attend the summit together with fellow heads of state from Africa on Thursday and it will last until Friday. The summit, which ends on Friday, is the 24th of its kind.Pohamba will then remain in France until February 20 for his first state visit as President of Namibia, said Yann Hwang, First Councillor at the French Embassy in Windhoek.”French President Jacques Chirac will attend the major sessions of the summit, which will deal with raw materials in Africa, the stance and weight of Africa in the world.The third session will deal with Africa and the media,” Hwang told reporters last week.He pointed out that the summits started in the Seventies and originally only French-speaking countries from Africa attended and a few Portuguese or lusophone African states were invited as observers.By 1996, all African countries attended, except for Sudan and Libya, which were under UN sanctions.Somalia also did not attend, because it did not have representative authorities anymore and Algeria sent delegates for the first time only in 1999.Meanwhile Hwang outlined that France would increase its development support to Namibia this year by N$4,5 million, being N$24,5 million compared to N$20 million in 2006.An additional N$325 million in the form of a soft loan was signed recently for Namibia’s Education and Training Sector Improvement Programme (ETSIP).In addition, France supports ten conservancies under Namibia’s natural resources management programme to the tune of N$112 million over four years.”On the other hand, France is also the largest contributor to the Global Fund against Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis.Namibia received N$114 million last year from that Fund,” the French diplomat said.”France further contributes 25 per cent to the European Development Fund (EDF).The EU supported Namibia with N$3,7 billion between 1990 and 2004.”France is also supporting decentralisation and good governance in Namibia and it has established the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC) in Windhoek.The summit, which ends on Friday, is the 24th of its kind.Pohamba will then remain in France until February 20 for his first state visit as President of Namibia, said Yann Hwang, First Councillor at the French Embassy in Windhoek.”French President Jacques Chirac will attend the major sessions of the summit, which will deal with raw materials in Africa, the stance and weight of Africa in the world.The third session will deal with Africa and the media,” Hwang told reporters last week.He pointed out that the summits started in the Seventies and originally only French-speaking countries from Africa attended and a few Portuguese or lusophone African states were invited as observers.By 1996, all African countries attended, except for Sudan and Libya, which were under UN sanctions.Somalia also did not attend, because it did not have representative authorities anymore and Algeria sent delegates for the first time only in 1999.Meanwhile Hwang outlined that France would increase its development support to Namibia this year by N$4,5 million, being N$24,5 million compared to N$20 million in 2006.An additional N$325 million in the form of a soft loan was signed recently for Namibia’s Education and Training Sector Improvement Programme (ETSIP).In addition, France supports ten conservancies under Namibia’s natural resources management programme to the tune of N$112 million over four years.”On the other hand, France is also the largest contributor to the Global Fund against Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis.Namibia received N$114 million last year from that Fund,” the French diplomat said.”France further contributes 25 per cent to the European Development Fund (EDF).The EU supported Namibia with N$3,7 billion between 1990 and 2004.”France is also supporting decentralisation and good governance in Namibia and it has established the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC) in Windhoek.