Bawumia leaves for Sierra Leone today

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia will today, Saturday, 19 August 2017, lead a government delegation to visit Sierra Leone to express the commiseration of the Ghanaian people to the government and people of Sierra Leone following a mudslide disaster that has left over 400 dead and about 600 missing in the capital, Freetown.

Government on Friday, 18 August 2017, airlifted relief items worth $1million to Sierra Leone in support of that country’s recovery process.

The items comprised food, medicines, clothing and logistics for temporary shelter.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, 15 August, assured his counterpart President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone of Ghana’s support in a telephone conversation hours after the incident.

About 3,000 people are homeless in what is being described as a humanitarian emergency.

There is also growing concern about the risk to public health from water-borne diseases.

Former President John Dramani Mahama has called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other neighbouring countries to lend a hand in the recovery process.