President John Evans Atta Mills has assured the country's development partners that the government will do whatever it takes to prevent the Ghanaian economy from deteriorating or impacting negatively on the quality of life of the people. At a meeting with the British Prime Minister, Mr Gordon Brown, at Number 10 Downing Street in London, the official residence of the Premier, President Mills said although his government inherited difficult economic problems, "it has taken the bull by the horns" to address those challenges in order to inject sanity into the economy. In doing so, he said, the government had taken the necessary measures that would stabilise and transform the economy to bring lasting relief to the people. "We have taken the necessary measures that will tackle the rising rate of inflation in order to bring down the prices of goods and services, as well as boost investor confidence in the economy," he said. The President explained that the government had made agriculture the fulcrum of its development, since the economy was agriculture-driven, for which reason the development of the country was largely dependent on that sector. He said the maximisation of agriculture would bring down the prices of food items, which would also lead to a drop in inflation and the provision of job opportunities for the masses of the people, especially the youth. He further explained that improvement in agricultural activities would place Ghana in a position to export surplus agricultural produce to other countries in the West African sub-region. President Mills said the government had taken concrete steps in the educational sector to build an efficient standing corps of skilled workers who would ensure the future development of the country. He told the British Premier that the government had increased the capitation grant and would provide free school uniforms for schoolchildren across the country. Mr Brown congratulated President Mills on his electoral victory and stressed that the peaceful conduct of the recent elections in Ghana had demonstrated that democracy had come of age in the country. He said Ghana's democracy had become the attraction on the African continent and called on the country to provide the requisite leadership in democratic governance for countries in the developing world. . The British Premier pledged his country's continuous support for Ghana's economic development in the areas of maternal care, education and crime prevention. Source: Daily Graphic