USDA extends export credits to Africa nations - Ghana included

WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department on Tuesday said it had allocated a total of $83 million in export credit guarantees for countries in Western and Southern Africa to use to buy U.S. farm goods.

The allocations are for fiscal 2000, which began Oct 1. They include $50 million in GSM-102 short-term loan guarantees for Southern Africa countries, $32 million in GSM-102 credit guarantees for Western Africa countries and $1 million in GSM-103 intermediate-term guarantees for Western Africa.

Two million dollars of the GSM-102 allocation for Southern Africa and the $1 million GSM-103 allocation for Western Africa are earmarked for purchases of breeder livestock, animal genetics and feeder cattle. The remaining credits can be used for a variety of farm goods.

Eligible Southern African countries are Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Eligible Western African countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Congo, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.