Accra, March 1, GNA - Professor Larry Diamond, a Senior Fellow at the Standford University in the US, has observed that although Ghana had made considerable progress in promoting good governance, the record still falls below international standards. Professor Larry said there was a link between democracy and economic development and therefore lauded the efforts of Ghana in demonstrating the ability to chart such a course for progress. He was speaking on the topic: "Democracy and Development- a Case of Mutual Dependency", at a public lecture organised by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), in Accra.

Prof. Diamond suggested the need to strengthen the nations' democratic institutions as well as ensuring transparency in public administration. There must also be adequate remuneration for public officials, transparency and competitiveness in public procurements and massive reduction in corruption to promote growth. Prof. Diamond said such measures would boost the confidence of the international community in Ghana, which would result in massive investment, foreign inflows, promotion of trade and tourism and the general growth of the economy. He however warned the nation to guard against corruption which he said was one of the banes of Africa's quest for sustainable development and the cause of bad governance.

Prof. Diamond said, a proper and effective way of checking corruption would ensure that foreign inflows meant for development would not be misapplied or under utilised. Commenting on the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Prof. Diamond urged the government to take adequate measures to prevent the further upsurge of the virus before it degenerate into the situation in East Africa. "If care is not taken, the virus will wipe away the modest gains made by the country in the past years," Prof. Diamond said