JPRS ID: 10413 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA REPORT
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CIA-RDP82-00850R000500040059-8
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JPRS L! 10413
25 March 1982
u~-Saharan Africa Re ort
S p
~ (F=0U0 No. 767)
a.
Fg~$ FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
FOR OFFICIAL USE O1VLY
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NOTE
JPRS publications contain informatioa primarily from foreign
newspapers, periodicals and books, but also from news agency
transmissions and broadcasts. Materials from foreign-language
sources are translated; those from English-language sources
are transcr ibed or reprinted, with the original phrasing and
other characteristics retained.
Headlines, editorial reports, and material enclosed in brackets
- are supplien extending prospecting for mineral wealth and the organization of re-
afCorest~ition projects.
Pending a better understanding of the plans of the new leaders, financial experts
estimate that, apart from the sums allocated with definite goals in view, a
financial eff.ort of 15 billion CFA francs per year over 5 consecutive years will
- be necessary to put the administration and the economy back on the track.
It is under.standable that, under these conditions, given the impasse in which the
country finds itself, one of the main concerns of the CMRN is to reassure its
. 11
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"friends," the suppliers of funds and possible investors. For this reason, Gen
Andre Kolingba stated in his 1 November speech that "No threat of nationalization
c:ould be freely allowed in the Central African Republic." Al:~o in this connec-
tion, the chief of state set farth, in his message of greeting, his determination
tc~ put an end to the "unstable" and "vacillating" aspect of a society troubled by
"constant upsets," and he asserted his readiness to take responsibility for any
act of violence, sedition or action contrary to the "profound aspirations" of the
Cc~ntral African people, which are "peace, stability, growth and work."
- Without a doubt some things have already changed in the country. The appointment
of Dr Abel Goumba, a professer of inedicine and former World Health Organization
official and president of the Ubangi People's Patriotic Front-Labor Party
(FPO-PT)--who returned to his country for good, as he had said he would several
months ago, after 17 years in exile--as rector of the University of Bangui is evi-
dence of this. Indeed, one can say that to some extent Abel Goumba had a right to
t}iis post, because of his writings and his experience. The fact nonetheless re-
mains, however, that this was an event which would have been inconceivable under
the earlier regime.
The majority of the political parties have to date maintained a waiting posture,
Gihen they have not, as some have done, indicated their a priori prejudice in
Favor of the CMRN, while others do not exclude the possibility of possible collab-
oration, provided of course that they can learn more about the projects of the
new regime.
Rumors and Agitatien
The Ubangi People's Patriotic Front, for its part, continues to demand the re-
- lease of six of its members who were arrested by the Dacko government after the
14 July 1981 bomb attack perpetrated by the Iddi Lala group, which has been
separated from the FPO-PT since September 1980.
Be{~ind the formal status quo created by the suspension of political activity,
which has just been reconfirmed by a circular issued by the minister of interior,
a certain level ot- agitation can be seen and many rumors are circulating. One
party, the Central African People's Liberation Movement (MLPC), headed by Ange
Patasse, a former minister and prime minister under Bokassa, several of the mem-
bers of which were reported to have been arrested early in January, is making
quite a fuss. After having demanded elections at the end of December--a sugges-
tion whict~ everyone in the old opposition sector rejected as an ill consider.ed,
if not demagogic proposal--and announcing coups d'etat which never took place,
Ange Patasse, who has been ,nore often abroad than in Bangui since 1 September
]981, recently announced that tt~e Central African presidency should be his by
right. He attempts to legitimize his claims on the basis of the results of the
fixed elections in March of 1981, which he himself challenged, as did the other
~ candidates opposed to Dacko, but which gave him 38 percent of the vote. The least
one can say is that such an inconsistent and outrageous attitude hardly provides
any favorable arguments to those who would like to see the dialogue promised by
Gen Andre Kolingba between the CSM [Supreme Military Council] and other sectors
of the nation launched as soon as possible, along with the establishment of the
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~onditions which will make it possible to rehabilitate the multiparty system in
the Central African Republic.
Poisonous Propaganda
F.fforts to revive tribal tensions, as evidenced by an anonymous document announc-
ing plans for the assassination of political leaders, including Abel Goumba and
Henri Maidou, have also been seen, while, according to certain rumors, Bokassa is
planning, with the aid of unspecified forces, to try to regain power in Bangui.
However, in view of the way the former dictator oppressed his people, it is hard
to see how such a hypothesis can have credibility.
If it is obvious that all of these "rumblings" are the evidences of psychological
. warfare and propaganda campaigns, it appears that, for the CMRN, it is a time for
vigilance and austerity rather than dialogue.
Moreover, while precise commirments on the part of the new regime are yet to come
and questions remain as to the freedom of action of the CMRN in relation to its
_ predecessors, it is obvious that real change and recovery cannot be launched with-
out the development of a national consensus concerning the vital goals.
As can be seen, the situation in the Central African R.epublic is still far from
stabilized.
COPYRIGHT: 1982 Afrique- Asie.
5157
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' CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
CIVIL SERVANTS' SALARIES REDUCED
Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ~T MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1892, 12 Feb 82 p 402
[Text] The CrII2N (Military Committee for National Recovery), in power in Bangui
since September, has just adopted harsh measures in order to rectify the economic
situation and the AFP recently wondered about the firmness of the support it
could henceforth enjoy among the people. ~
The AFP noted that observers in Bangui particularly wondered about reactions
that would be engendered by recent reductions in civil servants' salaries,
which would range from 5 to 28 percent, based cin the wage scale.
Some 24,000 persons are affected by the measure, adopted in order to reduce the
budgetary deficir of over 8 billion CFA francs, when the 1982 budget does not
exceed 30 billion in receipts.
- The decision, which is very unpopular, is part of the conditions required by the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to replenish the Central African
treasury. Several delegations from the Fund have visited Bangui in the past
2 months and observers believe that in the face of the "good will" of the mili-
tary regime, provisions will be rapidly made in its behalf. France, the Central
African Republic's main economic partner, could also participate in the recovery
effort undertaken by Central African leaders.
~ioreover, the latter are stepping up their action in order to improve the Central
African image. For example, customs took in 1.8 billion CFA francs in duties in
December 1981. This figure constitutes a record in a sector habitually under-
mined by corruption.
The military constantly calls for a fight against the misappropriation of public
monies, fraud, smuggling, embezzlement and encourage the resumption of the major
types of agricultural production, especially cotCon, the main budgetary resource.
It should be recalled that the freeing of prices, linked to the wage freeze, ~
already caused discontent among the people of Bangui in 1981, at the end of the
regime of President Dacko.
COPYP.IGHT: ltene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982
11,464 ~
CSO: 4719/598
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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
~ BRIEFS
IMPORTANT APPOINTMENTS--President Kolingba h~s appointed to high positions in
important state and commercial companies sevQt31 personalities who have
exercised great influence on Central African pc~litical life during the past 5
years. Thus, Joseph Potolot, who was appointed director general of the Central
African Soc3al Security Office (OCSS), was in turn president of the Supreme
- Court, minister of foreign affairs (1975), and then deputy prime minister in
charge of administrative queatio~~s until the fall of Emperor Bokassa in
September, 1979. Gen Andre Dieudonne Maguale has been appointed director of the
National Information Office (ONI). This army officer was minister of public
works and urban planning before he was appointed aecond deputy prime minister
- in 1979. The new deputy director general of the French-Central African
Tobacco Company (FCAT), Gabriel Dote-Badekara, is a technocrat. After
serving as technical adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture for several years,
he subsequently held a number of responsible posts within the Ministry of Rural
Development. Dote-Badekara is a relative of Ange Patasse. Since Prof Abe1
Goumba, president of the Ubangi Patriotic Front-Labor Party, was appointed
rector of the University of Bangui a few weeks ago, Dote-Badekara is the
second opposition figure on whom President Kolingba has conferred a senior
position in the administrative hierarchy. In Bangui observers consider the
- most recent decisions of President Kolingba as indicating a desire to open his
government in the direction of those ho?ding different "outlooks." 'I'his
attitude perhaps wi11 permit the evolution of the political situation ir. the
Central African Republic, at a time when the economic situation remai!.s a
- matter of concern and when the 1982 budget has been fixed at 38.2 billion CFA
[African Financial Co~?unity] francs, with a provisional def icit of 8.2
billion CFA francs. [Text] [Paris MARCHES TROPICAUR ET MEDITERRANEENS in
French No 1891, 5 Feb 82 p 328] 5170
IRAQI COOPERATION--On 21 January in Baghdad, Iraq and the Central African
Republic signed a cooperation agreement providing for the establishment of a
mixed economic and commercial cooperation commission, according to the Iraqi
News Agency (INA). [Text] [Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in
French iJo 1891, 5 Feb 82 p 328] [COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982.]
5170
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- CHAD
= COUNCIL OF DEFENSE, SECURITY ESTABLISHED
Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1886, 1 Jan 82 p 33
[Text] On 26 December, it was reported in Nd~amena that the locality of Oum-Hadjer
in Eastern Chad, approximately 150 kms froin Abeche, had been captured by Hissein
Habre's Northern Armed Forces [FAN]. TheiY capture of that locality, which is a
strategic key point opening the road to the vatha district, has changed the military
situation in the east of the country. That is the reason why the Zairian contingent,
_ consisting of 1,000 men instead of 700 as originally planned, is reported to have
been dispatched to Ati to reinforce the Nigerian contingent, instead of being deploy-
ed in Faya-Largeau as first intended. A Senegalese contingent may also be sent to
- Ati.
The advance of Hissein Habre's forces creates a serious problem for the mission en-
trusted to the OAU Pan-African force, and its coffinander-in-chief, Gen Geoffrey Ejiga
of Nigeria, has declared that should the country's stability be threatened, rhe mis-
sion would have to be "stopped at once." According to Hissein Habre, the Pan-African
force must do the groundwork to enable the Chadians to resolve their own problems
through negotiations and in a communique of the FAN handed on 27 December to the AFP
correspondent in Khartoum, he said that he was willing to start negotiations to find
a peaceful solution to the Chadian conflict. Goukouni Weddei and the GUNT [Transi-
tional National Union GovernmenC] are totally opposed to negotiations with Hissein
Habre.
- The Ndjamena Government is worried by the fall of Oum-Hadjer, and the Council of Min-
isters met on 25 December to review the military situation. The Council of Ministers
also held a meeting the day before and decided to establish a"Council of Defense and
~ Security," the basic function of which will be to "soundly" manage the free military
aid given to Chad by several countries and to exercise con~rol o~er all the armed
forces, integrating them into the National Army. As a result of this, some observers
believe that it could supervise all military operations and have more authority than
the Staff General of the Integrated National Army, which was created at the end of
May 1981 when the army factions were officially eliminated, although these still
haven't been brought under effective control. The Integrated National Army is under
the cor.m~and of Lt Col Allafi N'Golobaye. ~
COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux'et Cie Paris 1982
8796
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CHAD
FRANCE SAID TO CONSIDER INTER-AFRICAN FORCES ROLE AMBIGUOUS
Paris AFRIQUE-ASIE in French No 258, 1-14 Feb 82 P 1~+
[Article by Antonia Blis: "The Challenge of the Northern Armed Forces"]
[Excerpts] The imbroglio in Chad is becoming a little more complicated with every
passing day. Spectilation is rife, all or almost all of it tending, as if by chance
to regard the return of Hissein Habre and his troops to Nd;amena. And with the
prospect of intensifica[ion of the civil war or the arrangement of a compromise
as insecure and dangerous as thae which prevailed at the Lagos conference in
August of 1979.
Interference and Confusion
In the midst of all of these maneuvers, the field of action available to the
Transitional National Union Government (GUNT) headed by Goukouni Oueddei, is
- shrinking steadily. And interference, in the form of a generous flow of sugges-
tions and advice from a group of nations claiming to act on behalf of the OAU,
never ceases to multiply, adding to the confusion. It would appear as if no lesson
had been learned from the dramatic events of 1980 and their outcome, and above
all, as if the "major swing" which occurred during the last OAU summit meeting in
- Nairobi, where the new situation created in Chad by the defeat of Hissein Habre's
dissident forces was finally acknowledged and the full sovereignty of the GUNT
finally accepted, had never. occurrec~.
Following the 4-day visit paid to Khartoum by a large delegation from Chad headed
hy Goukouni Oueddei l~st 12 January, optimism gained the upper hand..~ It
~ppeared, if one adhered to a literal interpretation, that the negotiations might
prove fruitful. In fact, Sudan, which had until then supplied Hissein Habre's
Northern Ar.med For.ces (SAN) not only with weapons and ammunition, but with
soldiers as well, and which allowed a part of its territory to serve as a sanc-
tuary for these forces, undertook to guarantee its "total support of the gover.n-
ment and the people of Chad under the leadership of Goukouni Oueddei." On top of
~hat, it gave it explicit guarantee that it would not contribute "aid to any force
- :~cting against the government in Chad, specifically the Northern Armed Forces."
'Che Sudan promised to use its good offices to assist the GUNT to implement the
general amnesty decreed last July for the FAN, with the exception of Hissein
Habre, who was sentenced to death in absentia, and several of his lieutenants.
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In short, an idyll developed between Khartoum and Goukouni Oueddei's GUNT which
would make it possible for the coalition in power in Ndjamena to win back the ini-
tiative and to move to the offensive in order to win back the ground lost to the
forces of Hissein Habre. Since the withdrawal of the Libyan troops, in fact, the
F'P.N, breaking all their promises, have not ceased to advance in the east, the ceh-
ter and now the northern part of the country, with the complicity, passive for the
most part, of the "inter-African force."
_ A Lie and a Deception
- ]3ut how could one fail to see that the rapprochement between Ndjamena and Khartoum
looks very much like a deceptive trap? In fact, can the promises of Sudan to put
an end to the support it was giving thoir dissident forces of Hissein Habre
be taken literally? The troops of the former GUNT minister of defense, powerfully
equipped and said to be 4,000 to 5,000 men strong, have in fact already gained
control of numerous strategic sites. And last 31 December, President Numayri
again urged a"real national reconciliation" between Goukouni and Habre "under the
umbrella of the OAU." Why would he have changed his tact to such an extent in so
sh~~rt a time?
[n reality, the goals of all of those who are making as if to fly to the aid of
Goukouni's GUNT today under OAU sponsorship are becoming ever clearer. Additional
p;oof has just been supplied by the statements made by Nigerian Minister of Exr.er-
nal AEfairs Ishaya Audu, following his talk in Nairobi on 16 January with Daniel
arap Moi, the king and chief of state and acting president of the OAU.
Che Jaws of the Trap
According to Ishaya Audu, the first phase of the mission of the inter-African
peace torce in Chad was completed "satisfactorily." One would think that he meant
by that that the task of that inter-African force was to promote the return of
Hissein Habre to the military terrain and the political scene in Chad pure and
simple. But that is not all. "Efforts must still be made, particularly where the
political problems in Chad are concerned," Ishaya Audu added, going on to explain
tliat "The present government is a national transition union, and the OAU should
help to set up a government freely elected by the people of Chad themselves."
To speak the truth, it does,indeed seem that the nations who have set foot in Chad
under OAU sponsorship are seeking to dictate the settlement of that country's
affairs. And one might note that the resurgence of the arguments which were
curre.nt when the whole of the OAU, with very few exceptions, backed the France
of Giscard d'Estaing in supporting the candidacy of Hissein Habre for the presi-
dency of Chad on the pretext of combatting Libyan "penetration."
Is the new French government caught in the jaws of the Chadian trap to the point
that it has no other policy than to follow the course of events as a group of
African nations want them to develop? Can it not or does it not want to go farther
in its support of the GUNT--which it encouraged, moreover, to demand the with-
drawal of Libyan forces--than political alignment with the OAU position? Which,
~i~ summr~rized by the minister of cooperation and development last 15 January, in-
cludes among its principles "absolute support of the decisions of the OAU, '
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military nonintervention, support of every effort to achieve a political solution
and pursuit of civil cooperation." Will Paris content itself with noting that the
"ambiguity" where the role of the inter-African force is concerned has not been
"completely dissipated?" In view of the development of the situation on the t~Yri-
tory of Chad, the word "ambiguity" appears to be no more than an elegant
euphemism.
COPYRIGHT: 1982 Afrique-Asie
5157
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i~UR O1'H'I('IA1, lltil? ONI.ti'
CHAD
BRIEFS
WFP FOOD AII~--The World Food Program (WFP) has agreed to grovide Chad with
emergency aid valued at $7 million to meet the shortages in foodstuffs
following the civil war and the consequences,of the catastrophic drought
affecting the country; this indicated by the WFP in a communique published at
- the end of January. The aid will be made up of 15,000 tons of grains which,
according to the WFP, will make it possible to feed 375,000 peopTe for 100
days. According to the communique, the grain shortage in Chad for the 1981-82
crop year is estimated at 143,000 tons, or about double the chronic shortage
recorded in the course of the preceding years. In view of thij sit~;ation the
WFP considers that emergency aid must be maintained at a high level until the
harvest next November. We recall that the WFP already provided Chad with
food aid valued at $5.7 million last July and September. [Text] [Paris
MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French Nc 1891, 5 Feb 82 p 328]
[COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982.] 5170
YUGOSLAV, ROMANIAN COOPERATION OFFERS--Following a trip to Romania and Yug o-
- slavia by Minister of Health Garadoum Monn-Djasngar, and a trip to Japan by
Minister of Public Works Facho Balaam, the Chadian Council of Ministers has
issued a communique saying that these three countries had "indicated their
willingness to cooperate with Chad." A shipment of drugs and clothing will be
arriving "very shortly in Ndjamena" as emergency aid from Yugoslavia, a country
which is reported to have expressed its,desire to open an embassy in Chad.
The communique also states that Belgrade and Bucharest had pr anised the envoy
o.f the GUNT [Transitional National Union GovernmentJ to intercede with
"countries which provide aid and assistance f or the rebellion so that they
put a stop to it." Finally, official sources in Nc3jamena have said that a
Romanian mission is coming to Chad in the seccn d half of January. [Text]~
[Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET N~DITERRAI~ENS in French No 1886, 1 Jan 82 p 33]
[~OFYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982] 8796 '
. _
EDF AID--The European Development Fund (EDF) will devote 7,796,000 ecus to
financing for the program of priority action in Chad in different fields (live-
stock raising, roads, social sector, and so on). [Text] [Paris MARCHES TROPI-
CAUX ET MEDITERREINEENS in French No 1892, .12 Feb 82 p 402] [COPYRIGHT: Rene
~ t~ioreux et Cie Paris 1982] 11,464
~
~ CSO: 4719/598
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CONCO
.
PRIME MINISTER GIVES BROAD OUTLINES OF 5-YEAR PLAN
Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1886, 1 Jan 82 pp 34, 35
[Text] In our issue of 11 December 1981 (p 3314), we briefly mentioned that the
Congolese prime minister, Col Louis Sylvain-Goma, had presented the 1982-1986 5-Year
Plan for the Congo to the People's National Assembly. The plan, with proposed in-
vestments amounting to 1,105 billion CFA francs, was adopted on 24 December 1981 by
the assembly. In his closing speech, Col Denis Sassou-Nguesso, the head of state,
described as "a historic act" the adoption of this 5-year plan launched by "an un-
developed country with vast needs."
- The prime minister, for his part, gave some specific details on the plan, the main
points of which we.are reporting here.
"The 1982-1986 5-Year Plan is b asically centered on two pivotal points: 1) initia-
ting the infrastructures needed to establish control ovett~nr thedstate sectoraback
balance and development to our national territory; 2) g S
on a sound footing. These two important strategic points mean in practice large
capital investment programs as well as programs to reorganize the production machin-
~~ry and get it rolling.
"The 5-year plan also includes social and cultural progratns as well as programs aimed
at strengthening the state apparatus. The total financial package for the
- plan amounts to 1,105 billion CFA francs at their constant 1981 value, with 780 bil-
lion provided by the state and 325 billion by public or mixed enterprises, either
out of their own funds or through loans."
Sectoral and regional programs f all under four categories: capital investment and
infrasl-.ructural programs accounting for 48 percent of the planned outlays; programs
connected with the production machinery (36 percent); programs of social and cultural
investments (8 percent); inv.estment programs relating to the state apparatus (8 per-
cerit).
Infrastructures
The biggest allocations (531 billion CFA francs) will be for infrastructures. Tlii.s
outlay pursues the following objectives: to build the most urgently needed road
link~ between distant points, putting an end to the isolation of some areas; to start
building major road links between the regions; to cover the cost of repair and main-
- tenance for the entire road system; to study and reorganize the air transport inf ra-
structures; to modernize the CFCO (Congo-Ocean Railroad) with a view to boosting its
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carrying capacity; to increase the number of port and river infrastructures and mod-
ernize the ATC (Trans-Congolese Communications AGency); to adapt the port of Pointe-
Noire for a sea traffic which is expected to undergo rapid growth; to interconnect
the electric network; to bring electricity, gene~ated by hydroelec~ric and thermal
power plants, to all L:rban and rural centers; to conduct studies and implement proj~
ects aimed at drastic~illy increasing the installed capacity of hydroelectric power
plants; to extend the multi-channel radio links; to make postal and telephone ser-
vices generally available; to modernize radio and television; to improve urban liv-
ing conditions and create urban facilities; to build storage centers all over the
country for farm products, for basic commodities and for construction materials.
- Implementation of this program during the years of the plan should solve most of the
regional problems. With 531 billion CFA francs being allocated to the infrastruc-
tur.es, they play a vital role in the strategy of the 5-year plan. The state will
directly contribute 433 billion while the enterprises will provide 98 billion either
out of their own funds or from loans.
Tt~ese 531 billion CFA francs are distributed as follows (figures in billions): trans-
portation and civil aviation, 138.775; public works, 182.16; information and ONPT
[National Postal and Telecommunications Office] (posts and telecommunications), 36.23;
commerce, 20.33; tourism and environment, 11.9; energy and water supply, 117.1; ur-
ban infrastructures, 24.1.
Production Machinery
A total of 400 billion CFA francs, representing 36 percent of all the projects in-
cluded in the plan, will be allocated to the production machinery. The main purpose
of these investments in the production machinery is to get it back on the right
track; this recovery plan actually represents 21 percent of total investments and
47.5 percent of state investments.
In the sptiere of agriculture and livestock, the long-term objectives are to meet the
- country's food needs, increase exports, provide supplies for the agro-industries,
while reducing unemployment and improving the ].~ving standards of the f arming popu-
lations. According to the plan, 73.5 billion CFA francs will be invested in agricul-
ture and livestock including 25 billion for the farmers. Also, close to 35 billion
CFA francs have been budgeted to make improvements in the state f arms.
The large investments aZlocated to water supply and forestry--194.8 billion CFA
francs--wi11 go to two specific types of projects: a paper pulp complex in Pointe-
Noire with an estimated cost of 118 billion CFA francs, and forestry estates in tl~e
Sangha and Likouala regions.
Nearly 15 billion are allocated to mining and 103 billion to industry and fishing.
- Social and Cultural Programs
_ "Improvir.g the living conditions of the populationaTtsaandtthepstateminYe~eronecmust
~inues to be one of the constant concerns of the p y
be aware of the f act that any improvement of the living conditions is basically deter-
mined by the results obtained in the economic development."
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Nearly 86 billion CFA francs have already been assigned to social and socio-cultural.
programs. Most of the 86 billion will be distributed among the following sectors:
national education, 22.65 billion of which 9 billion will be for the university, 5
billion for building new schools, 1 billion for basic training, 7 billion for improv-
ing Che education system; health and social affairs, 28 billion; subsidized housing,
15.9 billion; youth and sports, 4.2 billion; and 8.82 billion will be used for the
first group of 157 village centers chosen from all over the country.
Regional Programs
"A really vast investment effort, without precedent in the history of our country,
will take place at the regional level during the 5-year plan period," Colonel Syl-
- vain-Goma said. "More than 62 percent of all the investments, or some 600 billion
CFA f rancs, will be assigned to projects directly connected with the regions as part
of an effort to eliminate all disparities throughout the national territory. Infra-
Gtructures offering advantages on a regional and national level, the electrification
- of towns located in the interior of the country, road and sanitation projects in
minor towns, capital investments involving transport, commerce and fuel distribtition
in the regions and finally roads--all this involves outlays of nearly 270 billion
CFA f rancs. An additional 50 billion CFA francs will be used to improve the quality
of life in the regions in the form v~ health care facilities, drinking water supply,
housing, education, youth, sport and cultural projects. Finally, over 260 billion
CFA francs will be invested in profit-generating projects in the spheres of agricul-
ture, industry, fishing, mining, water and forest resources, and these projects will
be located somewhere other than in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire.
We can say that the plan was drafted in accordance with one of the main concerns
voiced during the Third Special Party Congress: to bring the regions out of their
isolation and to encourage regional economic development; to create a fair balance
between the towns and the rural areas; to boost rural activities. But the willing-
ness to effect a decentrali2ation means in practice a large-scale regionalization of
the tools of development even more than the allocation of heavy investments.
In addition to the ordinary operating budgets assigned to the local government, sev-
c~ral new financial resources will be available to the regions. Here is a list of
these resources: a Regional Action Fund of 3 billion CFA francs to promote the cre-
ation of crafts and industrial enterprises in the regions and, more generally, to
~upport all regional or loc_al economic pro;jects; another 3 billion CFA francs as-
~igned to build public housing ~n the regions; 1 billion CFA francs to support local
agricultural and livestock projects; a Regional Development Fund of 3 billion CFA
franc~ will Ue established to give assistance to enterprisPS affected by operating
overcosts due to ttieir unfavorable location. Finally, the administration of the
state's investment budget must be partly decentralized."
Ef.fects of the Plan
�
The prime minister also said that if these programs are implemented without delay,
our national economy will rapidly take off and show an average annua2 growth rate
of 10 percent during the plan period. ~s for jobs, some 55,000 new ones will be
created during the period covered by the plan. Finally, there will be an unquestion-
able improvement in the living conditions of the general population after the hous-
ing program is carried out, health care is made more accessible and projects involv-
ing educational facilities and the supply of water and electricity are implemented.
. 23
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"Alttiougii the plan rightly raises great hopes, from a realistic viewpoint one must
also be aware that its execution could be hindered by impediments of a physical,
tecl~nical, administrative and organizational nature. These restraints are, in par-
- ticular, the limited means of transportation, logistic and organizational problems
iri the sphere of supplies, the lack of adequate skills in the work force, the weak-
ness of our national achievement capabilities.
- There is a danger that our external balance will seriously deteriorate under the im-
pact of a fast economic growth largely based on imports of capital goods, of semi-
manufactures for our production sector and additional consumer goods as the family's
earnings increase. We must also be careful not to allow the public debt to increase
excessively under the double effect of worldwide higher interest rates and the more
widespread use of external financing.
ror all these reasons, the government has deemed it absolutely necessary to back up
the programs of the plan with a package of accompanying measures the main purpose of
which is to constantly keep the plan on the right course, to control any imbalance
and to institute strict financial procedures.
The first group of ineasures, involving the guidance and control of the plan, sets out
to establish a planning method capable of dealing in a satisfactory manner with the
uncertainties of the future. A Permanent Plan Evaluation Commission will be created
and it will have the task of examining, modifying, and approving documents involvirig
the evaluation, control and revision of the plan.
Ttie second set of ineasures deals with the decentralization drive. Some of the meas-
ures have already been mentioned, others were included in various sectoral programs.
However, it seems advisable to compile them in a single and consistent document to
make them easier to understand, to assess their scope, and to set up the means of
= monitoring them. The administrative instruments required for the regional operations
will be reinforced mainly by setting up regional labor offices which are absolutely
necessary in order to have sound personnel management, by creating regional planning
offices, by introducing measures to encourage the decentralization of the banking
circuits and so on. The investment budget will be gradually managed at a regional
level and this will be substantiated with investments allocated several times a year
- in amounts determined on a case-by-case basis. Civil servants assigned to the re-
gions will be given a bonus. Finally, the way in which these decentralization meas-
' ures are imp2emented will be periodically monito?red during the plan period.
The third group of ineasures, concerning the financial commitments undertaken by the
state, sets out to redefine the procedure applied to market transfers and loan sub-
scriptions.
The fourth set of ineasures involves some legislation changes which will be introduc-
ed step by step over a certain period of time.
CUPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982
8796
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~
(
- I CONGO
BRIEFS .
FRENGH SUGAR LOAN--A loan of CFA 3.6 billion (Fr 72 million) was granted to the
Congolese government at the end of January by the French Central Fund for Economic
Cooperation (CCCE) f~r renovation of the Congo Sugar Company~~SUCO), installed at
Nkayi, it is announced by the CONGOLESE INFORMATION AGENCY (ACI). The amount of
this loan will cover 35 percent of an investment program designed to enable SUCO to
reach production of 70,000 tons of raw sugar per year in 1986. The loan agreement
was signed in Brazzaville on 27 January by the minister delegated to the presidency
in charge of cooperation, for the Congo, and by Pierre Melesse, director for the
Congo, for the CCCE. [Text) [Paris MARCH?:S TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French
No 1891, 5 Feb 82 p 330] [COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982~ 11267
AGREEMENT REGARDING PETROLEUM COMPANY--An establishment agreement in the amount of
CFA 2.282 billion has been signed in Brazzaville between the Congo and the Bouygues
- Off-Shore Congo company, whose headc}uarters is in Pointe-Noire, it is announced by
the CONG6LESE INF~RMATION AGENCY (ACI). [Text] [Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDI-
TERRANEENS in French No 1891, 5 Feb 82 p 331] (COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie
Paris 1982] 11267
11267
- CSO: 4719/585 ~
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EQUATORIAL GUINEA
BRIEFS
RDLGE REQUESTS RECOGNITION--The Demo~ratic Assembly for the Liberation of
Equatorial Guinea (RDLGE) has asked to be legally recognized by the mil3tary
junta now in power in Malabo, according to a communique issued to the press in
Dakar on 27 January. In the communique the president of the RDLGE, Manuel
Ruben Ndongo, states that the request takes place in the framework of the
preparations for free and general elections, whose implementation has been ,
provided for by the military ~unta in the course of this year. In this context
the RDLGE wishes to contribute to the wor.k of construction of democ.acy and
to play within that effort "an understanding role." [Text] [Paris MARCHES
TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1891, 5 Feb 82 p 328] [COPYRIGHT:
Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982.) 5170
~ cso: 4719/5Rn
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ETHIOPIA
I
,
BRIEFS
MARIAM RECEIVES CONGOLESE MINISTER--Addis Ababa, 6 Mar (REUTER)--Ethiopian
leader Mengistu Haile Mariam today received visiting Congolese Foreign
Minister Pierre Nze at his Asmara palace--dispelling claims by Eritrean
secessionists that he was woimded in Eritrea earlier this week. The Congolese
minister came to Ethiopia last week to attend the Organisation of African
Unity Ministerial Coim cil in Ad3is Ababa. He stayed on for talks on
strengthening relations between the two countries, officials said. During
today's meeting in Asmara, Mr Nze presented a message from Congolese President
Denis Sassou-Nguesso. An official of the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) today
described the secessionist claims as a sign of desperation. "They are trying
to mislead world opinion in a desperate attempt to hide their own imminent
der.iise," he said. A recentl Ethiopian television commentary said there were
no secessionist groups near Asmara. 'I'hose remaining in other areas were
being pursued by the Second Liberation Army through mountainous coumtry
~ near the Sudan border. [Text] [JN062106 London REUTERS in English 2055 GMT
6 Mar 82]
NO CONAiENT ON ERITREAN STATEMENT--There was no official comment on the EPLF
statement in Addis Ababa, where the authorities hav~ kept silent on the
guerrillas claims to have scored major military successes in recent weeks.
Western diplomatic sources in Addis Ababa said the Ethiopian Army has suffered
several thousand casualties since launching a tank-backed campaign to smash
the Eritrean secessionist movement earlier this year. The sources said the
Ethiopian Government had sent up to 14,000 troops to northern Ethiopia under
what is officially called the "Red Star Development Campaign." The Ethiopain
media have said the aim of the campaign is to rehabilitate the area after
20 years of secessionist warfare. Last week, the official Ethiopian News
Agency reported that victory for the government was near. But diplomatic
sources in Addis Ababa and Nairobi recalle d many similar statements in the
past and described the prediction as premat ure. [Text] [JN05104 3 London
H~UT~R,S i,n ~n~lish 1617 GMT 15 Mar 82]
ERITREAN GUERRILLAS REPORT LOSSES--Beirut, 15 Mar (REUTER)--Eritrean seces-
sionir;t guerrillas said today they have killed 530 Ethiopian soldiers and
wounded 700 in f ighting over the last four days. The Eritrean P eoples
Liberati.~n Front (EPLF), the largest of the guerrilla groups fighting the
Ethiopian Government for the independence of Eritrea, said in a communique
- issued in Beirut that the fiohting was around the northern town of Nakfa
and on the north-east coast of the Red Sea province. Nakfa was the only
town left in guerrilla hands after government troops drove them out of
Asmara, the provincial capital [words indistinet] a new offensive to wipe
out the secessionist movement and at the same time has undertaken to develop
the province economically. The communique did not report Eritrean losses.
~[TextJ [JN151640 London REUTERS in English 1031 GMT 5 Mar 8~]
I
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f
~ GABUN
f
r
WAGE NEGOTIATIONS, WORKERS DEMANDS
Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1891, 5 Feb 82 p 329
[Article: "Wage Negotiations and Movements for Union Demands"]
~'1'~xt) Following the decision by the Gabonese Council of Ministers on 15 January
to raise the interoccupational guaranteed minimum wage in Gabon to CFA 35,000 and
the supplementary allowance to CFA 15,000 (MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS of
22 January 1982, p 206), Frime Minister Leon Mebiame decided, at a cabinet meeting
on 23 January, that wage negotiations would take place throughout the entire terri-
tory starting on 25 January. These negotiations should relate to the general rise
in pay, but also to "all the other problems" posed in the enterprises.
Negotiations did indeed take place at the end of January between the COSYGA (Gabon-
ese Trade Union Confederation), the single trade union, the CPG (Confederation of
Gabonese Employers) and the corresponding committees of the Ministry of Labor. The
demands, though, often went beyond this framework. Various movements, strikes,
were noted, especially in Port-Gentil, the economic capital of Gabon, and even in
Libreville. The agreements negotiated by the representatives of the personnel were
even challenged sometimes by the "rank and file," and the negotiations were especi-
ally delicate in the oil sector: the strikes began in ELF [Gasoline and Lubricants
- Company of France]-Gabon and spread even to the subcontractors. Whereas the situa-
tion seemed to be settled at the end of January, Port-Gentil's biggest enterprise,
in terms of personnel (more than 2,000 workers), the CFG (Gabonese Forestry Com-
pany), which does rotary-cutting and veneers, went out on strike on 1 February.
'Che workers' main demands were pay-related, the increase in the cost of living in
Gabon having made the situation of the lowest-paid workers difficult.
- In some cases, the pay demands were for as much as a 100-percent increase. On the
average, increases of 30 percent were granted in all sectors.
Accorciing to the information available to us at press time, the increases in the
- commcrcial sector were from 13 to 15 percent, depending on the category; and in
oil, 50 percent for the laborers and 30 percent for the technicians. Among certain
oil subcontractors, though, an 80-percent increase is reported to have been grant-
ed, which is 100 percent over mid-1981, because of a 20-percent increase 2 months
ago. In the mines, the pay of the supervisory personnel increased Iess than that
c~f the workers, and the increase is on the same order as in the oil sector.
28
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Un tt?e other hand, the president of the republic decided at the end of January to
create, within the framework of the Ministry of National Education, a commission
assigned the task of iinproving the working conditions of the teachers in Gabon.
However, the civil service has not so far been concerned in the negotiations on pay
increases.
COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982.
11267
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;
f
GABON
_i
_i
-i
. BRIEFS
SOLAR ENERGY EXPERIMENTS--In order to improve working conditions for personnel
and the safety of users, the Beacon and Lighting Department, a division of the
Gabon Ports and Roadsteads Office (OPRAG), has conducted experiments on the
Ile des Perroquets, opposite the new port of Owendo and the Libreville port-
breakwater in the heart of the Gabonese estuary, with solar energy for beacons
- in its channels. There is an average of 3 to 4 hours of sunlight a day in Libre-
ville and OPRAG estimates that the solar solution (photovoltaic conversion) was
more advantageous for its beacons than t~ae old system that used gas. In addition,
an agreement involving an equipment program using solar energy for four Gabonese
- ~rillages was signed between the American and Gabonese governments on 4 February
in Libreville. The program costs a total of $1.6 million, about 480 million
CFA francs. Out of this total, the American portion is $500,000 (150 million
CFA francs) and the Gabonese Government will pay the remainder. The program will
be carried out in the field by specialists from the Lewis Research Center (Ohio)
near Cleveland, a unit under NASA. The villages chosen are Bolossoville (Woleu-
Ntem), Bogandji-Ondia (Upper Ogooue), Nyali (Nyanga) and Donguila (Estuary).
The choice of these settlements in 1980 was confirmed in agreement with the
G~bonese minister of mines and petroleum, second deputy prime minister, Etienne-
Guy Mouvagha-Tchioba. Lighting by solar energy will make it possible to meet
essential needs (clinics, schools, social, street lights, distribution of water
by artesian wells and electric pumps). [TextJ [Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDI-
TERRANEENS in French No 1892, 12 Feb 82 p 403] [COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie
Paris 1982) 11,464
SEEG PROJE~~TS--Back from a 2-week visit to the interior of Gabon, Andre-Paul
Apandina, general manager of SEEG (Gabon Power and Water Company), said, in
an interview with the Libreville daily L'UNION on 28 January: "A great deal
remains to be done in the inter.ior. We must have extensions in 17 places,
while 5 others, already supplied with electricity, must have water. In addition,
we have named 20 areas where neither water nor electricity is found. Consequently,
a vast Frogram to equip these :ireas is being studied. However, electrification
and water supply projects are underway at Mayumba, Cocobeach and Omboue. [Text]
[Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1892, 12 Feb 82 p 403]
[COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982] 11,464
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SEBG'S PRODUCTION INCREASES--SEEG [Gabon Power and Water Company]: Growth in 1981--
At a meeting in Libreville at the beginning of January, it was announced that for
the SEEG, the year just ended "was marked, as were the preceding years, by sharp
growth." Ttiis growth is characterized by an increase in production of water and of
electricity of 11.7 and 9.6 percent, respectively. The personnel of the SEEG also
increased considerably, reaching a total of 1,650 Gabonese employees and expatri-
ates. Turnover increased by 20.4 percent, going from CFA 16.74 billion in 1980 to
CFA 20.16 billion, before taxes, in 1981. [Text] [Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDI-
TERRANEENS in French No 1891, 5 Feb 82 p 330] [COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982]
11267
- ~sRAZILIAN RAIL CARS RECEIVED--The Trans-Gabonese Railroad Office (OCTRA) has just
received 41 rail cars from Brazil: 11 low-sided flatcars and 30 cars with sliding
sides designed for transportof perishable commodities. These cars were made in
l3razil by COBRASMA [expansion unknown]. These 41 new rail cars join the 449 cars
tt~at OCTRA already has: 15 passenger cars, 362 freight cars and 15 service cars,
most of them from Japan, as well as from Algeria, Romania, France and South Korea.
[Text] [Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1891, 5 Feb 82
p 330] [COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 19~2~ ~.~-267 ~
cso: 47~9/5a~
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i
~
; GHANA
'f
FOREIGN DEBT RISES, ECONOMIC MEASURES STILL AWAITED
Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1892, 12 Feb 82 p 395
[Excerpts] Over a month after the coup d'etat that brought him to power, Captain
Rawlings had not yet been successful, by the beginning of February, in drawing
up economic and financial measures aimed at correcting the country's situation.
_ Nevertheless, certain isolated moves seem to have been made.
The decision made on 6 February concerning the deposit in banks and post offices
of all 50-cedi bills, in exchange for a receipt, pointed to an important monetary
reform. The 50-cedi note, the largest bill used in the country, should therefore
cease having any legal value effective 12 February. The measure was preceded by
the temporary closing, on 4 February, of all banks and, on the following day, of
most businesses. It should be noted that these measures were set forth before
the post of secretary of state (minister) for finance and economic planning was
filled. Also vacant was the post of naiu:al resources, labor and health (see
the makeup af the government in MARCHES TR0?ICAUR, 29 January, p 262).
The monetary measure recalled the recommendation made by the IMF to the former
regime of President Limann that the currency be devalued by 500 percent.
It should be noted in general that the country is gradually taking the revolu-
tionary path chosen by the capitain, but this is not done without some reticence,
even within the army.
Therefore, many people wonder about the future af the new regime and at the same
time, note an obvious loss of freedoms and a deterioration in the situation. In
both Ghanaian and foreign business circles, people even wonder whether all eco-
nomic activity will soon be paralyzed.
- rinally, a very harsh audit of the citizenry has been instituted in order to
ascertain their property and income. Denunciations of excessive income are not
- only authorized, but recommended.
Foreign Debt
In its annual report for 1980-1981, the Bank of Ghana evaluated the country's
general foreign debt at some $1.5 billion, or twice the total amount of expected
3^
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exports in 1981. The rate of inflation is 140 percent. These data are even
more catastrophic.-than those announced in our 8 January issue on the occasion of
the takeover by Captain Rawlings.
Iri addition, the Bank of Ghana also notes that at the end of June 1981, forei~n
exchange amounted to 126 million cedis, or, at the official exchange rate at th~t
time, $45.8 million. However, it was estimated that a tenth of that sum actually
served to supply the flourishing black market for capital.
In addition, in the light of this disastrous situation, the International Mone-
tary Fund (IMF) offered the previous civilian government of Dr Limann an aid
program for $1.4 billion stretched out over 4 years, but on the condition that
the country get itself back on the path to economic recovery and that it devalu-
ate its currency. We know that the authorities at that time were opposed to
the recommendation, deeming it to be harmful to the standard of living of the
population, whose impatience could begin to beeome dangerous.
COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982
11,464
CSO: 4719/603
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GUINF.A
BRIEFS
RESLTI~TION OF ABIDJAN-CONAKRY FLIGHTS--Air Guinee flights between Abid~an and
Conakry, which had been suspended for several years, just resumed on a weekly
basis. Organization of the flights has been entrusted to Air Ivoire, in keeping
with an agreement made on 8 February by the two companies. Resumption of the
air connection between the two capitals fits into the framework of "strengthening
cooperation existing between the two brother countries." It is believed in the
Ivorian capital that at a time when Africa hopes to promote the expansion of its
tourism, the opening of such a line between the Ivory Coast and Guinea will
result in a tourist boom between the two. [Text] [Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET
- MEI)ITERRANEENS in French No 1892, 12 Feb 82 p 390] [COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux
et Cie Paris 1982] 11,464 ~
FRENCH COOPERATION AGREEMENT--The JOURNAL OFFICIEL (5 February 1982) has pub-
lished Decree No 82-129 of 27 January 1982, concerning pubZication of the cul-
- tural, scientific and technical cooperation agreement between the government of
the French Republic and the government of the People's Revolutionary Republic of
Guinea and the joint protocol establishing the organization of French personnel
which France makes available to Guinea according to the terms of tHe agreement,
signed in Paris on 26 June 1979 and in effect beginning on 24 October 1981.
Several agreements were signed in June 1979 between France and Guinea (see
MARCHES TROPICAUX of 29 June 1979, p 1728, and of 6 July 1979, p 1926). [Text]
[Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1892, 12 Feb 82 p 390]
[COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1892] 11,464
CANADIAN COOPERATION AGREEMENT--A general cooperation agreement whose clauses
have not been specified was concluded between Guinea and Canada at the close of
a report signed on 6 February by Marc Perron, Canadian ambassador to Guinea,
. and Marcel Cros, Guinean minister of international cooperation. The report was
signed following the visit by a delegation from the Canadian International
1)evelopment Agency (ACDI) to Guinea. During its two-week stay, the ACDI mission
took up the programming, by sector and subsector, of specific activities in
order to draw up a cooperation program between the two countries. [Text]
[Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1892, 12 Feb 82 p 390]
[COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982] 11,464
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NEW MINISTRY OF DEVELOPMENT--A ministry charged with construction and national
development has been established in Guinea, according to a communique from the
Cabinet made public on 21 January. This new ministry replaces the Ministry of
Public Works, whose abolition was decided on by the Cabinet in view of the
inadequacy of the resources available to it in terms of the results achieved
by the former ministry with its existing structure. The personnel as well as
the material resources of the former M3.nistry of Public Works will be divided
- among the "Commissariats General of the Revolution (CGR, a kind of super
prefecture in Guinea), which will then be responsible for the maintenance of
the road networks and the maintenance of bridges and tunnels located in their
respective territories. [Text] [Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in
French No 1890, 29 Jan p 259] [COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982.]
5170
CONAKRY AIRPORT EXPANSION--The Aeroport de Paris Company has just signed a
contract with t~e Government of the Republic of Guinea for a feasibility
study covering the development and extenstion of Conakry airport. This
feasibility study, in whi.ch the Aeroport de Paris Company will play the major
role, will be carried out in association with SOFREAVIA [French Aviation
Studies Company]. The study will cover the construction of a new passenger
~ terminal, freight terminals and a maintenance hangar for the aircraft
belonging to Air Guinea; the reconstruction and improvement of aeronautical
support facilities; the installation of air navigation aids; the reconstruction
and development of various buildings and road networks; and finally the
organization and management of the airport serving the Guinean capital. [Text]
[Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1890, 29 Jan 82 p 259]
5170 [COPYRIGHT: hene I~ioreux et Cie Paris 1982] 5170
CsO: 4719/580
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GUINEA-BISSAU
BRIEFS
GRANT TO PORTUGUESE MAGAZINE--The Guinea-Bissau Government granted many thou-
sands of dollars to a Portuguese magazine of the extreme right, TEMPO, for the
publication of a supplement devoted to the "benefits" and "advantages" of the
14 November military coup d'etat. This unfortunate initiative, which was
apparently due to the ministers of inter3or and information, created a consider-
able stir in Guinea public opinion and in international progressive circles.
- It was aimed at giving credence to the myth that the 14 November events were
in the interest of the Guinea people. Worse, it appeared in a publication
which is the customary mouthpiece of the leader of the UNITA, Savimbi. Pres~-
dent Nino Vieira is reputedly planning to request an in-depth investigation of
this affair. It is not excluded that it could end up by pointing out that it
- was aimed at reinforcing ties between Portuguese fascist circles and certain
elements of the Gu3nea governmental teams. [Text] [Paris AFRIQUE-ASIE in
French No 260, 1-14 Mar 82 p 31] jCOPYRIGHT: 1982 Afrique-Asie]
CSO: 4719/681
i
~
,
36
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l
~
MOZAMBIQUE
.
, GOVERNMENT SECRECX REPORTEDLY HAMPERS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT .
Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1892, 12 Feb 82 p 413
[Text] In his wishes for Mozambique on the eve of the New Year, Samora Machel,
chief of state, hoped that the initial success that will mark the actual launch-
ing of the decade-old fight against underdevelopment will be manifested and he
. issued an appeal to the nation for the success of the operation.
The opening to the outside needed in order to achieve such a result and the search
for. investments from Western countries encountered a ma3or obstacle, the FINANCIAL
TIMES recently emphasized: the excessive taste for secrecy on the part of the
government. Naturally, we know that Mozambique must face acute economic prob-
lems, particularly regarding its negative balance of payments, adversely affected
by the higher cost of energy and the need to import massive amounts of food be-
cause of the stagaation of agriculture resulting fram the departure of Portuguese
settlers after independence and from the drought and flooding.
- However, it is impossible to make a serious analysis of the economic situation
in Mozambique," the British daily says. The only reliable data are in the hands
of those close to the president of the republic and his ministers. Moreover,
anyone seeking statistics is referred to the annual report drafted for the
UN Security Council, a report most of.whose figures the authors themselves say
are not reliable.
This fanatic secrecy makes potential foreign investors reticent. In Great Bri-
tain, for example, the Export Credit's Guarantee Department (ECGD), which sub-
stantially corresponds to the French COFACE [French Foreign Trade Company], may
refuse to cover the risks run by investors unless a certain number of da.ta are
available, particularly regarding the foreign debt and service on the debt in
Mozambique. It is for this very reason that credits for an important aeronautics
- project were blocked by the United States' Eximbank.
- Despite Maputo's absence from international organizations such as the World
Bank and the International Monetary Fund, or its nonmembership in the Lome Con-
vention, officials in the West have tried to evaluate Mozambique's econamic
difficulties. These attempts show that the overall balance of payments deficit
is reportedly on the order of $250 million, that foreign exchange res~rves are
evidently exhausted and that service of the debt is some $500 to $800 mi~lion:
37
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Assuming that these estimates are exact and considering Mozambique's need to
ask for foreign assistance in order to fight its underdevelopment, the government
would undoubtedly find it advantageous to be less secretive in order to obtain
~ more.
COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux et Cie Paris 1982
11,464
CSO: 4719/603
3a
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i
MOZAMBIQUE
I
~
_F
BRIEFS
DEMANDS IN HOSTAGE CASE--John Burlison, a young British citizen, has been held
hostage since 17 December of last year by the Mozambique National Resistance
Movement (MRN) which is opposed to the present government in Maputo. The MRN
has indicated that it will not rel.ease its hostage until the "world press"
published a communique denouncing "the Maputo Marxist regime." [Text] [Paris
MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANE~IS in French No 1891, 5 Feb 82 p 340] 8796
CASHEW NUT CROP--The cashew nut marketing campaign was scheduled to start at
the end of January in the Mozambique Provinces of Sofala and Manica. Opera-
tions were delayed by 1 month due to the shortage of ineans of tranaportation.
Machazem, Buri and Chibara ar~ the main districts of these provinces where
cashew nuts are grown. The 5,000-ton production target for this region is not
likely to be met as a result of adverse climatic conditions and of insecurity.
[Text] [Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1891, 5 Feb
82 p 340] 8796
AERIAL SURVEY--The photographic survey of the Mozambique national territory
conducted in 1981 by the French Company of Stereoscopic Land Survey and by the
National Directorate for Geology and Survey, better known under the initials
of DINAGECA, has already covered more than 12,800 square kilometers. The maps
drawn as part of this aerial survey program are on a scale of between 1/7,500
and 1/20,000 and represent several projects in progress in the countrv. [Text]
[Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERREINEENS in French No 1891, 5 Feb p 3~+0.] 8796
COAL MINING AGREEMENTS--A bilateral agreement between Mozambique, Brazil and
the OPEC Fund for International Development involving a mining project, a con-
sortium of Brazilian contpanies will be entrusted with making an evaluation of
reserves of coal in the Mucanha Vuza region and then will provide equipment
and means of transportation for the mine. Studies will take 14 months to com-
- plete at a cost of $5.4 million with $2.3 million provided by the OPEC fund.
By the time the project goes into operation, 6 or 7 years from now, total
investments made will amount to $700 million. [Text] [Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX
ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1891, 5 Feb 82 p 340] [COPYRIGHT: Rene Moreux
et Cie Paris 1982] 8796
~
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SERIOUS FOOD SHORTAGES--The Mozambican Government is planning to make an appeal
to the international community for emergency food aid, according to a dispatch
from the Portuguese agency ANOP dated Map~sto, 2 February. According to the dis-
patch, which quotes diplomatic sources, the government in Ma.puto has reportedly
already made contact with the ambassadors of the United States, Great Britain
and S~*eden in the Mozambican capital. According to the same sources, the food
situation in the country is worse at the beginning of 1982 than it was in 1980,
at the time of the great drought that made international aid necessary. The
country reportedly covers only 5 percent of its meat and margarine needs and
10 percent of its needs for wheat and corn flouro [Text] [Paris MARCHES TROPI-
CAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French No 1892, 12 Feb 82 p 413] [COPYRIGHT: Rene
Moreux et Cie Paris 1982] 11,