Ecowas to hold emergency meeting over Ebola in Accra

Despite a three-month moratorium on all international conferences in Ghana, an emergency meeting of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) is likely to be held in Accra.

That meeting will be held “if it is necessary” and will follow a meeting of the sub-region's health ministers.

This was disclosed by President John Dramani Mahama on Friday, August 22 when he welcomed the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) to the Flagstaff House, Kanda.

Michel Sidibe is in Ghana to inspect work done so far on setting up a production hub of anti-retroviral drugs in Ghana.

President Mahama, who is also Chairman of Ecowas’ highest decision-making body, used the opportunity to brief Mr Sidibe a meeting of the West African Health Organisation will be held next Tuesday over the deadly Ebola virus.

That meeting will have in attendance officers of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control.

“And then after that if it is necessary we will hold another emergency meeting of the heads of state to agree on the measures that we must take going forward in order to eliminate Ebola.”

The current outbreak of the virus is the deadliest since it was recorded in 1976.

It has so far killed more than 1,000 people.