President John Dramani Mahama has welcomed the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, to Accra for a one-day state visit focused on strengthening bilateral relations, regional cooperation and responding to the growing impact of climate-related disasters in West Africa.
President Bio, who also serves as Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, used the visit to convey the condolences and solidarity of the people of Sierra Leone following the recent floods that have devastated several communities across Ghana.
During their bilateral discussions, President Mahama briefed his counterpart on government’s response to the disaster, disclosing that the Ghana Armed Forces and the Joint Task Force have been deployed to support recovery operations, including the clearing of blocked waterways and restoration of normalcy in affected communities.
He also revealed that the Minister for Finance had released resources from the Contingency Fund to support relief operations being coordinated by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other state agencies.
According to President Mahama, preliminary assessments indicate that approximately 48,000 people have been displaced by the floods, while 12 lives have been lost, with several others still unaccounted for.
Beyond the flood situation, the two leaders discussed regional security, governance and economic integration within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ahead of the upcoming regional summit in Sierra Leone.
President Bio expressed sympathy with the victims of the disaster and stressed the need for stronger collaboration among West African countries to address climate change, improve urban planning and strengthen disaster preparedness.
