President John Evans Atta Mills has secured the release of six Ghanaians in prison custody in Equatorial Guinea for minor identification offences. The President struck the deal with his Equatorial Guinean counterpart, President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, on Thursday as part of his three-day state visit to that country, during which he affirmed Ghana's ties with Equatorial Guinea. This came to light when President Mills addressed the Ghanaian community in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, last Thursday. He said, however, that the gesture should not serve as a guarantee for them to indulge in negative practices in that country. The President used the opportunity to assure Ghanaians living abroad that his administration would make judicious use of the oil find in the country. He urged them to join forces with the government to ensure the rapid progress and development of the country. The President acknowledged that Ghana had a lot to learn from Equatorial Guinea in the field of energy but noted that ''we also have a strong human resource expertise to offer". He recalled the significant support Ghana gave to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire when those countries were engulfed in civil strife, as well as the peace-keeping role Ghana continued to play world-wide. "With all these experiences, I am not in doubt that we can do it here. There is a lot we can do together to develop ourselves," he stressed. President Mills urged the people to respect the laws of the country and also visit their country of origin to acquaint themselves with the development programmes of the government. He said there was rule of law, democracy and respect for governance institutions which had made Ghana a model of good governance in Africa. A Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr Chris Kpodo, said the relationship between President Mills and President Mbasogo was phenomenal and asked the Ghanaian community there not to engage in vices to soil the established ties. "Whatever you do will go to enhance the image of your country Whether you are here legally or illegally. You are Ghanaians and must be responsible," he added. He asked them to register in their various communities to enable the government to holistically address their concerns, saying, "It is only when you are united that we can tackle your challenges.” Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana