A joint delegation from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana, has paid an official visit to Madrid, Spain with the aim to enhance international institutional collaboration and to promote inter-institutional coordination at the national level.

The EU-funded Accountability, Rule of law and Anti-corruption Programme (ARAP) is implemented by the Spanish Public Foundation FIIAPP with headquarters in Madrid.

This international visit is one of several exchanges organised by ARAP that aims to support Ghanaian public bodies by establishing international networks and exposure to international best practices.

Led by Ana Sánchez, ARAP’s Team Leader, the delegation visited the General Prosecutions Office and its International Judicial Cooperation Unit, as well as the Public Environmental Agency of Madrid Autonomous Region.

Borja Jimenez, Public Prosecutor from the International Judicial Cooperation Unit of the General Prosecutions Office, provided a summary of the Spanish prosecutors’ work and how International Cooperation can be an effective tool to combat corruption. The briefing concluded with an overview of the common areas of interest and the possible establishment of a support channel for mutual legal assistance through a Memorandum of Understanding.

The delegation also met with Pablo Altozando Soler, Vice-President of Environment and Territorial Planning from the Public Environmental Agency of Madrid. He stressed the importance of applying best practices in the area of environmental impact, environmental task forces and strategic assessments.

The Ghanaian mission showed interest in strategies, policies, competencies, duties, legal and operational framework and their inter-Institutional coordination at the national level.

The visit comes as part of an international exchange of expertise, tools, and best practices, as it aimed at bolstering cooperation and explores ways and means to joint work in those fields.