§ 16. Sir G. Sinclairasked the Minister of Overseas Development what help he and his predecessor have been able to give to Nigeria during the last year.
§ Mr. OramThe value of British official economic aid to Nigeria disbursed in 1966 was £6.3 million. I will, with permission, publish details in the OFFICIAL REPORT. Nigeria also benefited from aid provided by multilateral agen- 694 cies to which the United Kingdom contributed.
§ Sir G. SinclairWhat has the Ministry been able to do to help the Nigerian transport system, particularly the railways, to get into operation again and to move groundnuts from Northern Nigeria down to the ports?
§ Mr. OramI am circulating some information in the OFFICIAL REPORT but if it does not cover the particular points about transport that the hon. Gentleman has in mind I will ensure that he is fully informed.
§ Following is the information:
| BRITISH OFFICIAL ECONOMIC AID TO NIGERIA | ||
| £ million | ||
| 1965 | 1966 | |
| Financial Aid | ||
| Grant—Education | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| Loans—Development Plan | 4.4 | 1.4 |
| Railway Equipment | 0.1 | — |
| Niger Dam | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| Telecommunications | 2.4 | 1.0 |
| C.D.C. investment | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Cost of Technical Assistance* | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Total Economic Aid | 10.2 | 6.3 |
| The number of Nigerian students and trainees on courses in Britain financed from British technical assistance schemes | 362† | 324‡ |
| The number of British advisory and operational personnel in Nigeria partially financed from British technical assistance schemes, including volunteers | 820† | 1,489‡ |
| * In addition to the cost of students and trainees and British advisory and operational personnel, £0.1 million and £0.2 million was spent in 1965 and 1966 respectively on topographical and other surveys. | ||
| † Position as at 31st December, 1965. | ||
| ‡ Position as at 30th June, 1966. |