PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRIME MINISTER OF NAMIBIA

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRIME MINISTER OF NAMIBIA

"We always boast in Namibia that the relationship between the United Nations and Namibia will never be broken", Hage G. Geingob, Prime Minister of Namibia, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this morning, in which he reviewed his country's progress since its independence in 1990.

While Namibia had, of course, gained its independence in 1990 through the struggle of the Namibian people, it had also been due to international solidarity, the Prime Minister said. The whole world had supported Namibia's cause, and the United Nations had played an important role in "midwife-ing" Namibia's birth. Harmony had been created in a country where there had been discord and interracial hatred.

Today, Namibia was a vibrant, democratic and peaceful country, the Prime Minister continued. It was now, therefore, trying to focus on economic liberation -- which was even more difficult than political liberation had been.

Namibia had to "enlarge its cake", which was very small, he said. That was being done by the creation of a favourable investment climate, so that business people would be attracted to invest in the country. Namibia had so far done very well. The Prime Minister had been in New York to help facilitate the process, and it was for that reason that he was attending the Meeting of Experts on the United Nations Programme in Public Administration and Finance, taking place at Headquarters from 4 to 8 May.

"Obviously, everybody is reforming, everybody is downsizing, 'right- sizing', all aimed at good governance", he said. Good governance would be brought about in most parts of Africa through the process of democratization and market-oriented economies, and with accountability and transparency. The Meeting of Experts had been very interesting in that regard. The Prime Minister was happy to have been elected its Chairman.

A correspondent asked if he was going anywhere else besides the United Nations to attract investment. He said that tonight he was going to be addressing some groups of businessmen and tomorrow he would be going to Atlanta to the Summit being co-chaired by Andrew Young, a former Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, and United States Congressman Newt Gingrich. There would be various Heads of State at that meeting, and it was hoped that some investors could be attracted, he added.

Asked to share his view of the Secretary-General's report on Africa, the Prime Minister said that he had just been briefed, and that Namibia's representatives were dealing with it at the United Nations level. When it was sent back to Namibia, it would first go to the Foreign Ministry and then to the Cabinet.

Press Conference by Namibia - 2 - 6 May 1998

Asked if it was largely foreign direct investment he was looking for, Prime Minister Geingob said that while his country was looking for foreign investment, that did not exclude local investment. Namibia's investment protection act contained incentives that applied equally to local investors as well as to foreign investors. Investors were being sought from Asia -- "where all the money is these days" -- as well as from Europe and the United States.

Had the Secretary-General been invited to visit Namibia during his current trip to Africa? a correspondent asked. The Secretary-General was a very close friend of Namibia, the Prime Minister said. When he had made his first trip to Africa, he had come to Namibia and good talks had been held. This time Namibia had not insisted that he visit.

In response to another question on Namibia's approach to investment, the Prime Minister said that it was Namibia's practice not to prescribe to potential investors; it preferred to let them come, look, then choose the areas in which they wished to invest. However, it was necessary to let potential investors know what was available. Mining, for example, was always an option. Diamond mines were now jointly owned by South African companies and the Namibian Government, and companies from other countries were involved.

Namibia was also telling people to invest in the country's infrastructure, the Prime Minister said. Tourism was the country's fastest growing industry, and was very much an open field.

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