Accra, Oct. 23, GNA - Government is aware of the fact that its performance would be judged by the improvement in the living standards of the people, President John Evans Atta Mills said on Friday.

He made the observation when Mr. Jeff Raike, Chief Executive Officer of the US-based organisation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, led a delegation to pay courtesy call on him at the Osu Castle in Accra. The delegation is in the country to assess the performance of its health assistance grants launched 11 years ago, and renew its collaboration with government to venture into agriculture and sanitation. President Mills lauded the Foundation for its philanthropic assistance, and pledged government's commitment to work with it and other organisations for tangible achievements that the people would be proud of and improve their living standards.

He explained that improving the living standards of the people was the reason for electing a government into power and that the people would assess government's performance on how it improved their living standards. Vice President John Dramani Mahama underscored the need to support Ghana's agricultural sector, expressing worry that agriculture had not been given the need attention in the past despite its contribution to national development.

Agriculture employs about 60 per cent of Ghana's labour force and the mainstay of her economy. However, about 1.2 billion dollars is spent on food imports annually, and the Ghanaian farmer has not been able to compete favourably due to the lack of subsidies, leading to high level of food imports in the recent world food crisis.

Vice President Mahama announced that government was planning to reduce expenditure on food imports by about 50 per cent in the next four years, through the adoption of technologies of comparative advantage for more food yields.

On sanitation, he said government was considering a ban on the use of plastic materials for more environmentally friendly materials. He pledged support for the Ghana and American relationship to improve sanitation.

Mr. Raike commended government for the establishment of the School Feeding Programme, policies and programmes that gave priority to health and sanitation.

"I am also here to learn how Ghana won the FIFA Under-20 World Cup Championship", he said.