Presidential candidates promise to revive economy

The seven candidates vying for the 17 October presidential election in Niger have promised to revive the national economy and restore dialogue with social partners and aid donors, PANA reported. In campaign messages broadcast on national radio and television last week, the candidates also promised to continue with a privatisation programme launched two years ago, according to PANA, which reported that only three enterprises out of 12 earmarked for sale between 1997 and 1999 have been privatised. The candidates also plan to clamp down on tax dodgers, corruption and fraud, which they said are undermining social and economic progress in the country of over nine million inhabitants, 63 percent of whom are poor according to Niger’s government. The country has an external debt estimated at about US $1.2 billion. The seven presidential candidates are: ·Mahamadou Issoufou (Parti pour la Democratie et le Socialisme -PNDS); ·Tandja Mamadou (Mouvement national pour la Societe de Developpement - MNSD); ·Moumouni Djermakoye Adamou (Alliance pour la Democratie et le Progres - ANDP); ·Ex-president Mahamane Ousmane (Convention democratique et sociale - CDS); ·Hamid Algabid (Rassemblement pour la Democratie et le Progres - RDP); ·Amadou Djibo (Union des Independants nigeriens - UNI); ·Andre Salifou (Union des Patriotes, Democrates et Progressistes - UPDP).