Mills secures South American Support for Ghana's development

President John Evans Atta Mills has secured South American support for Ghana's agricultural, health and energy sectors, as well as initiating steps for Argentina to support Ghanaians in the study of the Spanish language. This follows President Mills' participation in the second Africa-South America Summit at Porlarmar, on the Island of Margariat, Venezuela, over the week-end. During bilateral talks, on the sidelines of the Summit, the Argentine President, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, appreciated the efforts of the Government of Ghana to improve the living standards of its people, adding that, agriculture played a key role in the economies of developing countries. Alhaji Mohamed Mumuni, Minister of Foreign Affairs, briefing the press in Washington DC, said the Government of Argentina pledged to support Ghana's livestock sector with technical assistance. The assistance is to re-energize the agric sector, create jobs, making Ghana self-sufficient in food and livestock production, as well as creating an export market. President Mills expressed concern about the collapse of the livestock industry in Ghana, which has necessitated his call for assistance to revive the sector. The two leaders agreed to follow up on the pledge, for which a high powered Government delegation would soon be in Argentina to finalise the deal. President Mills also accepted an invitation from the Argentine leader to pay a visit to her country. Argentina pledged its preparedness to allow Ghanaian students to visit the country for a practical study of the Spanish language. At the same Summit, Brazil pledged technical support for Ghana's energy sector, while Venezuela pledged $20 million for the control of malaria in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, as well as partner other African countries to develop their energy sectors. On the summit itself, the leaders agreed to establish an intercontinental bank, along the lines of the World Bank, with a proposed initial capital of $20 billion, to address the financial needs of member states that are not able to meet the conditions of the Bretton Woods institutions. Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela agreed to make an initial contribution of $4 billion US each. A declaration adopted at the end of the summit, acknowledged the active participation of Afro descendants in the development of South America and their contributions towards their independence. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to promote South-South Cooperation as a major objective of both regions, in order to complement the traditional North-South co-operation to sustained economic growth.