Taiwan offers $75m to Burkina

2007-01-11 18:27

Brahima Ouedraogo

Ouagadougou - Taiwan promised $75m in aid to Burkina Faso, said the country's Taiwanese ambassador on Thursday.

Burkina Faso is one of few African countries that still recognise Taiwan. Many have switched allegiances to China in recent years as the Asian power has bestowed billions in gifts and loans to countries in return for political favour and access to natural resources.

Last week, Chinese foreign minister Li Zhaoxing visited seven African countries, forgiving millions of dollars in debt and promising to build dams and government palaces.

Tao Wen-Lung, Taiwan's ambassador to Burkina Faso, called the aid package a sign of the friendship between both nations and said the money will be used for agricultural projects.

Finance minister Jean Baptiste Compaore declined to answer whether the unexpected gift was a reaction to China's recent visit to the region.

A small, landlocked West African nation, Burkina Faso gained independence from France in 1960.

The country suffered numerous coups before multiparty elections in the 1990s ushered in a period of relative stability.

- SAPA