Canada Rewards Ghana & 5 Other African nations

Six African countries will be rewarded for improving their records on human rights and democracy in the first phase of Prime Minister Jean Chr?tien's much publicized African assistance plan.

In a speech to be delivered to the Liu Institute for Global Issues in Vancouver later today, Denis Paradis, secretary of state for Latin America and Africa, will announce that $100 million of the Canada Fund for Africa will go to Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal and Tanzania.

The money will be used to encourage business partnerships between companies in Canada and in the six countries targeted -- an arrangement that Mr. Paradis hopes will generate an additional $100 million in private sector and institutional investment in those countries.

"The countries that have been chosen are the ones who have made the most progress," Mr. Paradis said in an interview.

The Canada Fund for Africa, which will hand out $500 million over the next five years, was announced with much pomp by Mr. Chr?tien during last year's G8 summit meeting in Kananaskis, Alta.

Mr. Chr?tien worked during the meeting to bridge the gap between some of the world's richest and poorest nations as well as garner support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development plan.

The development plan ties foreign aid for impoverished African nations to their records on human rights and democracy in the hopes of encouraging those who don't respect human rights and democracy to improve.

However, not all of the six countries named have unblemished records on those two fronts.

On the Foreign Affairs Department's Web site, for example, the department says relations between Canada and Ethiopia are "sound," but adds that "Canada is concerned about human rights issues in Ethiopia."

The latest report by the international group Human Rights Watch says human rights conditions in Ethiopia "did not perceptibly improve in 2002. In southern Ethiopia, they significantly worsened." Police shot into groups of civilians, conducted mass arrests and in one region prisoners were tortured. "Local elections were subject to intimidation and fraud."

Mr. Paradis acknowledges not all of the countries on the list have pristine track records. "Not everything is perfect in all those countries, that is certain."

He said the list of countries was drawn up following consultations with Foreign Affairs and international aid experts in the government.

Mr. Paradis said African nations are preparing their own evaluation criteria and, once it is ready, Canada will begin using it to determine which nations will get aid.

Countries selected for aid under the Africa fund can also be dropped from the list should there be a coup d'?tat or a significant deterioration in their respect for human rights and democracy, Mr. Paradis warned.