President of Sierra Leone and Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Dr. Julius Maada Bio, has arrived in Accra for a one-day state visit to Ghana to express solidarity with President John Dramani Mahama and the people of Ghana following the devastating floods that claimed lives and displaced hundreds earlier this week.
The visit comes days after torrential rains triggered widespread flooding across seven regions, with the Greater Accra, Volta and Central regions among the hardest hit.
During the visit, President Bio is expected to convey condolences on behalf of the Government and people of Sierra Leone and the ECOWAS community to President Mahama over Monday’s flood disaster.
Beyond the condolence visit, the Sierra Leonean leader will also hold bilateral discussions with President Mahama to seek his counsel ahead of the upcoming ECOWAS Heads of State and Government meeting.
The discussions are expected to focus on key regional issues, including political stability, democratic governance, economic integration, security cooperation and other matters that will feature prominently on the agenda of the next ECOWAS summit.
President Mahama and President Bio are also expected to reaffirm the longstanding diplomatic ties between Ghana and Sierra Leone while exploring ways to strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
The visit underscores regional solidarity in times of crisis and highlights President Mahama’s continued role as a respected statesman within the ECOWAS sub-region ahead of the bloc’s forthcoming high-level deliberations.
Story: Patrick Asford Boadu
