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to grow in Sudan or Ethiopia but will increase in Southern Africa. Political changes in all regions can alter the position with dramatic suddenness, however, and the Council stands ready to increase staff and resources or withdraw them as demand dictates. For planning purposes, the Council assumes that sizeable British government commitment to aid for Africa will continue, particularly to anglophone (mostly Commonwealth) and lusophone countries and to Southern Africa. Continuing operations in Africa will depend on funding agreements with ODA being both administratively workable and adequate for existing commitments. The Council's own programmes support aid objectives by promoting professional contacts and by providing targeted library and information services, and specialist expertise in English language, education and the sciences.
7.63 With the aim of providing effective and efficient project management services for British and multilateral aid programmes, and using Council programmes constructively to support and complement British aid priorities, principal objectives are:
to maintain and improve the image of the Council as a partner agency
• to increase contract work with other aid agencies over 1989/90 levels
to engender goodwill towards Britain, particularly in Southern Africa.
7.64 The greater part of the Council's activity is to act as ODA's agent in the management of TC programmes in education and training. In 1990/91, these have a value of approximately £45 million. Council priorities in Africa closely reflect those of FCO and ODA. Nigeria and Kenya, countries with huge aid programmes, take priority for the Council; the focus for growth is primarily in Southern Africa: Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe. Nonetheless, the Council's contingency plans for a balanced budget would have to include staffing and operational funding reductions of up to £0.21 million in the region.
7.65 £0.48 million additional resources from the government grant achieved, in 1989/90: ⚫ a new Representation in Mozambique
⚫ a new regional library in eastern Nigeria with 1,000 members
• the opening, ahead of schedule, of a new Council centre and library in South Africa
⚫ the tripling, by Nigerian funding, of Council investment in high-profile counterpart training in medicine, law and industrial management. A new office in the Ivory Coast will be fully operational in 1990, later than planned as land offered by the host government was unsuitably sited. The increased costs of an alternative site
will be funded internally. The identification of suitable premises also delayed the Mozambique project which, nonetheless, was fully operational by April 1990.
7.66 The achievement of objectives in Southern Africa in the immediate planning period will be achieved through funding from the increased government grant and by redeployment. £0.2 million will be deployed recurrently to open a Representation in Namibia. Immediate set-up costs will be covered by a further £0.25 million from additional non-recurrent funds available in 1990/91. The Council will redeploy funds to provide subsequent staff strengthening as the activity range rapidly widens. In both Namibia and Mozambique, the demand is urgent for educational and information resources. As outlined in CP2, a second office will open in Zimbabwe in 1990, where £0.08 million recurrently will be used to fund a regional information office and study centre in Bulawayo. Funds will be redeployed internally to post an officer to Swaziland in 1990/91. In South Africa, the upgrading of some facilities will be required during the triennium; in particular the materials and information services in Cape Town require expansion and improvement if British interests are effectively to be served. Additional recurrent funds for Southern Africa will be sought.
7.67 Plans to open an office in Angola remain on the agenda; funds will be sought to take the project forward when the political situation stabilizes.
7.68 The increased government grant will not cover planned library development in Ethiopia. However, funds will be found from internal redeployment to set up a textbook library in Addis to supply specialist services to target sectors in academe and government. Redeployment will also increase recurrently the funding level for exchanges work in Mauritius.
7.69 In Anglophone Africa, increased possibilities for Council involvement are strong, particularly in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Zambia and Tanzania. In the last three, economic restructuring has generated growing confidence in donors, and both FCO and ODA give importance to British assistance in the process of recovery. Opportunities exist to promote British expertise, particularly in those aspects of law, management (including privatization), medicine and education not otherwise covered by the aid programme. Council programmes will continue to focus on interchange, alongside information provision based on library services; these are particularly needed in Uganda. In Nigeria, the Council
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