– Ng’uesso Calls for Joint Efforts to Tap Oil Reserves By Petronella Sibeene WINDHOEK Visiting President Denis Sassou-Ngu’esso yesterday called for joint efforts by Congo and Namibia in expanding the oil refinery in Congo’s second capital of Pointe Noire. Namibia could tap into his country’s large oil reserves. President Sassou-Ng’uesso said his country’s sole refinery – CORAF – could fuel the oil needs of both Namibia and Congo. Speaking during official talks at State House, the visiting President also invited Namibia to look into the possibility of importing wood from Congo. “We are only separated by Angola. There are a lot of products that Congo can import from Namibia including fish and meat,” he said. Although the two countries’ bilateral relations date as far as the time of the liberation struggle, efforts concentrating on trade and related issues have been weak. President Hifikepunye Pohamba said that after the country’s independence in 1991, the two countries proposed a framework agreement that would make provision for a Congo-Namibia Joint Commission, but to date no efforts have been made to ensure that the agreement bears the intended fruits. President Pohamba yesterday proposed the two countries ensure that the agreement be revisited and inauguration takes place in April next year in Windhoek. “The delay makes one question if the two countries are serious,” he said. It is imperative that Namibia and Congo share views on poverty eradication and challenges of underdevelopment, he added. That could be done through cooperation in different areas of mutual interest, including sectors such as agriculture, trade, mining, tourism, health and education, among others. Last year in October, President Pohamba visited Congo and signed six agreements and memoranda of understanding. He called on the two governments to redouble their joint efforts and deepen and expand areas of mutual understanding. He said business between the two countries is vital, calling on the private sectors of both countries to establish the Congo-Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry. President Pohamba was confident that deliberations during his counterpart’s visit would result in agreements being signed and would add momentum to bilateral efforts leading to the economic prosperity of both Congo and Namibia. President Sassou-Ng’uesso expressed disappointment over the two countries’ failure to accelerate economic growth through agreements signed in the past. “We have to resolve how we can be meeting on a regular basis and look into the pressing issues of both countries,” he said. He said Namibia and Congo could look into possible areas of cooperation. The areas include transport, education, fisheries, trade and mining. “The main issue remains how we can implement what we agree on. Since 1991, we have signed agreements but we cannot continue signing, we have to do something and not become a laughing stock,” he said. “We have to act quickly and if possible fix a target date for our objectives.” Later, the two countries signed three Memoranda of Understanding – on Trade and Economic Cooperation, Promotion and Protecting Investment and Technical and Professional Education. Namibian Acting Minister of Trade and Industry, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, and Congolese Minister Adelaide Moundele-Ngollo signed the agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation. The two ministers also signed the agreement on Promotion and Protecting Investment. Minister of Education Nangolo Mbumba and Congolese Minister, Pierre-Michel Nguimbi, signed the agreement on Technical and Professional Education. The signing ceremony was witnessed by President Pohamba and President Sassou-Ng’uesso. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila told New Era that the levels of trade between Congo and Namibia did not match the levels of relations that existed between the two countries. She said there was great need to develop trade between the two. Namibia was interested in exporting food and beverage products to Congo, she said. However, the quantities would be determined by role players in the sector. During the official talks at State House yesterday, the two heads of state identified trade and education as two sectors among many areas where Namibia and Congo could cooperate. The Congolese leader proposed that the two countries establish an institution that would train Namibians and Congolese in areas such as agriculture. The training centre, he said, should be erected where a technical secondary school that trained Namibians during the liberation struggle was positioned. “This will help future generations know about the past, the days of the liberation struggle,” he said. A statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting says bilateral relations between Congo and Namibia date back to the years of the liberation struggle for Namibia’s independence. Congo assisted Swapo on its way to freedom from the colonial forces. “The Congolese government provided land and established a technical secondary school at Loudima, where many exiled young Namibians received education and training,” the statement says.