NAIROBI, Kenya, August 3, 2000 - Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today announced new GSM export credits for Nigeria and additional food assistance for refugees in Kenya.
Glickman is in the middle of a week-long Presidential mission to Africa, where he is discussing and learning more about hunger, infrastructure, and health care issues facing the continent today, while promoting agricultural trade, food security and democratic transformation.
During a dinner meeting on Tuesday, Glickman told Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo that he is extending $9 million in USDA credit guarantees to assist Nigeria with the purchase of U.S. agricultural commodities. The guarantees, which can be used to assist in the purchase of any agricultural commodity, will be made available to several Nigerian banks. In recent years, wheat has been Nigeria's largest agricultural import from the United States.
Glickman and Obasanjo also discussed President Clinton's new $300 million Global Food for Education pilot program. The initiative, which is expected to launch later this year, will use surplus U.S. agricultural products to help feed millions of schoolchildren around the world. Participating countries have not yet been selected. Glickman is expected to discuss the initiative with Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi during a meeting on Friday.
"Helping to feed schoolchildren in need around the world is an important investment in reducing hunger, improving health, boosting school attendance, and promoting economic development," said Glickman. "During my trip to Africa, I have found significant support among government officials, private voluntary organizations, and local residents for this exciting new initiative."
Glickman today also announced the donation of an additional 1000 metric tons of a corn-soybean blend to help feed refugees in Kenya. The food will be donated to the UN's World Food Program for distribution at refugee camps in Kenya.
In July, Glickman announced that USDA will donate an additional 350,000 metric tons of farm commodities to drought afflicted and war-torn nations, including Afghanistan, Kenya, and nations in the Horn of Africa. The assistance, valued at about $145 million, brings USDA's total donations for those in need in Africa to approximately one million tons this year, nearly triple the tonnage provided for all of Africa last year.:
