   |
|
afrol.com, 27 June - The Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome & Principe, H. E. Guilherme Posser da Costa, visited the headquarters of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and held discussions with the President of IFAD, Mr Fawzi H. Al-Sultan. This is the first official visit to IFAD of a Head of Government from Sao Tome. The Prime Minister was accompanied by H. E. Jaoquim Rafael Branco, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Co-operation and other senior officials. During the meeting, a new programme of development activities of the International Fund for Agricultural Development in Sao Tome was discussed. A donor round-table scheduled to take place in Geneva on 4-5 October will see the official presentation to all donors of Sao Tome's medium-term development strategy "Plan d'Actions Prioritaires", developed with the support of UNDP. The round-table will also offer the opportunity for IFAD to present its Country Strategic Opportunities Paper, in this way enabling future interventions of the Fund to be coordinated with those of other principal development partners in the country (French Co-operation, World Bank and UNDP). Given Sao Tome's external debt, IFAD is supporting the country's efforts in complying with the Highly Indebted Poor Country debt-initiative requirements. This would be in accordance with the World Bank's policy towards Sao Tome. IFAD has been a long-term partner of the Republic of Sao Tome; from 1984 to date,
Sao Tome and Principe has received four IFAD loans (with a total amount of USD 7.8 million) to finance rural development projects in the country, of which three have been completed. These four projects are the Artisanal Fisheries Project, the Pilot Food Crop Development Project, the Second Artisanal Fisheries Development Project and the National Smallholders Support Project (PNAPAF). A grant of US$ 30,000 was also granted to ZATONA-ADIL, a local and very active NGO operating in
Sao Tome.
|
