By Chrispin Inambao
WINDHOEK
Egypt, listed among the top providers of donor aid to Namibia, plans funding a medical facility in Namibia. The medical facility will be equipped and manned by Egyptian doctors following a recent high-level visit by an assistant foreign minister from Egypt.
From 1990 to 2005, Egypt funneled bilateral assistance worth N$245 million to the Namibian government and a hundred Namibians benefited from various Egyptian courses, while 260 experts were seconded to Namibia in the fields of agriculture, police and health.
Ambassador Maasoum Mostafa Marzouk, Assistant Egyptian Foreign Minister of African and A.U. Affairs, during his five-day visit to Namibia last week held discussions with Prime Minister Nahas Angula, the Foreign Affairs Minister Marco Hausiku, the Director-General of the National Planning Commission (NPC) Helmut Angula and the Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Theo-Ben Gurirab.
During his meetings he also conferred with the Trade and Industry Minister Immanuel Ngatjizeko and met the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) Tarah Shaanika, as well as delegates from the Investment Centre.
“I am very pleased by the congregations and meetings I had here. And the discussions were very constructive, very fruitful,” he told New Era in an interview held at the residence of the Egyptian Ambassador Hadi El-Tonsi in an upmarket residential area in Klein Windhoek.
“We discussed the problems and conflicts in Africa, the hopes and aspirations of our continent and how we can share together with others to bring about the new African dawn,” explained the Assistant Egyptian Foreign Minister of African and A.U. Affairs.
When asked what sort of aid his country had in mind, he was quick to say, “Well of course through these discussions, we have the priorities of your government. We think that the sector of education is very important, but the sector of health as well. And we are considering constructing a clinic or a medical centre here in Namibia equipped and manned by Egyptian doctors.
We are also thinking about vocational centres to train technicians.”
On the cost implications and the size of the planned centre, Ambassador Marzouk said: “Well, we are committed whenever the government will provide us with the premises to equip these premises …and to put our doctors there.
But about the size and the other details, it will be decided by technicians in both countries. We can start as soon as the premises are ready.”
The Assistant Foreign Minister said the planned health centre “will be a general practice dealing with common diseases and problems in specific areas,” according to government’s priorities.
The planned medical facility will come into being once the two countries iron out technical details. The meeting between Marzouk and the Director-General of the NPC, Angula, was specifically to “have a better idea” about Namibia’s real requirements.
Plans are in the pipeline between the two countries to hold Joint Ministerial Committee meetings so that they could determine in which specific areas Namibia would need help.
“Egypt is not putting any political attachments to any kind of assistance. We don’t have any preconditions. The only condition is that we would like to see a very good spirit of cooperation between the two countries,” emphasized the Assistant Foreign Minister.
He said with trade enhancement and promotion in mind, Egypt and Namibia are on the verge of signing what he termed “two very important agreements” – trade promotion and the encouragement of investment, and the removal of double taxation.
With its Africanisation Programme, where it looks to other African countries for its imports, Egypt intends to encourage business people in the two countries to forge joint business partnerships that would increase trade volumes between Namibia and Egypt, he said.
Marzouk said he would want to see the free flow of goods and the opening of markets between the two countries, as this could be a “win-win” that would benefit the jobless.
“We are looking into many things here in Namibia that could be exported to Egypt and Egypt with its expertise is very interested in Namibia’s agro-industry,” he said.
Though he enthused about an abundance of unexploited business opportunities existing between the two countries, the diplomat was mindful of the distance and related costs. Another area of interest is the tourism sector whereby that country could bring its tourists and possibly tourists from the oil-rich Middle East during certain seasons.
On Egypt’s role during Namibia’s independence struggle, he said: “Egypt supported the struggle of the great people of Namibia. And we also had the offices of all liberation movements of Africa during the 60s.
“We kept our support and cooperation between the two countries within the context of the well-established Egyptian Foreign Policy on the continent. We have always maintained the current position in support of independence and sustainable development of Africans, and the support of the Palestinian people who are struggling to achieve their independence.
“SWAPO and the PLO were comrades in this road and when Namibia got its independence it was a positive signal and a sign of optimism for the Palestinians that their day will come as well,” said the Assistant Foreign Minister.
He feels the problems involving the Palestinians could be sorted out once and for all if only Israel could end its occupation of Palestinian land. When one thinks of Egypt, camels, pyramids and mummies often come to mind but it is also the most populated Arab nation.
Its capital Cairo has a population of about 16 million people and its other city Alexandria has 6 million people. Egypt is 94 percent Muslim while Coptic Christians and other religions consist of the remaining six percent. Arabic is its official language.
Life expectancy is 71 years and its population in 2006 stood at 78,8 million.
Its natural resources consist of petroleum and natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc. Agriculture products include cotton, rice, onions, beans, citrus fruits, wheat, corn, barley and sugar. Industry: food processing, textiles, chemicals, petrochemicals, construction, light manufacturing, iron and steel products, aluminum, cement, military equipment.
Exports – $14.3 billion: petroleum, clothing and textiles, cotton, fruits and vegetables, manufactured goods. Major markets – EU, U.S., Middle East, Japan. Imports – $24.1 billion: machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, livestock, food and beverages, paper and wood products, chemicals. Major suppliers are the EU and the U.S.