Spanish Envoy calls on Vice President.

Accra, Feb. 20, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama has asked public officers to refrain from using unwarranted bureaucratic hurdles to impinge government's efforts intended to extend social amenities to rural communities.

He said it was inappropriate for public servants to employ bureaucratic measures to stall or in some cases scamper projects that were meant to bring respite to rural communities, most especially when finances for such projects had been secured.

Interacting with Mrs. Julia Olmo, Spanish Ambassador at the Castle, Osu, on Friday, Vice President Mahama said government would ensure that such negative tendencies were not repeated, as they weakened the resolve of the state to reduce poverty in rural communities. Vice President Mahama said he was worried about the development whereby foreign missions and other donors provided funds for rural development projects only to be stalled by bureaucracy.

He reminded public officers of their devotion to the people, and urged them to work towards a stoppage of such tendencies. He said people in rural communities lacked certain basic facilities including roads, educational, health, and water and it was incumbent on public officers to help alleviate their suffering rather than compounding it.

Vice President Mahama assured the Spanish envoy of his personal commitment to ensure that all projects being funded by her government, which had suffered a similar fate, were implemented as contained in the bilateral agreements for which the Spanish government granted the resources.

Vice President Mahama also pledged the commitment of government to work with her Spanish counterpart to stem the flow of illegal migration to that country in return for financial support to create jobs in Ghana. Vice President Mahama commended the Spanish government for her support of a number of governance institutions, including the Ghana Police Service and called for the deepening of their relationships for the benefit of both countries.

Ambassador Olmo commended Ghana's democratic credentials; hailing her as having a "splendid" image among other African nations. The Spanish envoy spoke of the willingness of her government to work in concert with Ghana to help solve some of the problems on the African continent by way of programmes that help reduce conflicts and the promotion of economic development.

Mrs. Olmo said in view of Ghana's exemplary political growth, her country had expended millions of euros in the Ghanaian economy to help spur growth for sustained development. 20 Feb. 09