President John Dramani Mahama has hosted Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio on a one-day state visit to Accra, where the two leaders discussed Ghana’s flood situation and regional cooperation.
President Bio, who chairs the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority, expressed condolences to the Government and people of Ghana over the recent floods, which have claimed lives, displaced thousands and caused widespread destruction.
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President Mahama said preliminary assessments indicate that about 48,000 people have been displaced, 12 people have died, and several others remain unaccounted for.
He said the Ghana Armed Forces and the Joint Task Force have been deployed to support recovery operations, including clearing blocked waterways, while the Finance Minister has released funds from the Contingency Fund to support relief efforts by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other agencies.
President Bio described the floods as a reminder of the growing threat of climate change and called for stronger regional cooperation on climate resilience, urban planning and disaster preparedness.
The two leaders also held bilateral talks on regional security, governance and economic integration within the ECOWAS framework ahead of the bloc’s upcoming summit in Sierra Leone.
They reaffirmed the longstanding relationship between Ghana and Sierra Leone and pledged to strengthen cooperation in promoting peace, stability and sustainable development in the sub-region.
