Extend ECOWAS mission in Gambia - Barrow to Akufo-Addo

The President of the Gambia, Adama Barrow has appealed for an extension of the mandate of the ECOWAS mission in his country.

He said the years of neglect and infrastructure deficit requires that, a lot of reforms be carried out to bring the Gambia back from bad governance.

Mr Barrow was speaking at a meeting with President Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House in Accra.

The Gambian leader, who is on a day's visit to Ghana, said his government cannot function without security called for support from the West African bloc, ECOWAS.

A Presidential election was held in the Gambia in December (2016) where surprisingly, opposition candidate Adama Barrow, a successful property developer, who was virtually unknown, defied the odds to score a shock victory.

He defeated long-term incumbent Yahya Jammeh. That was the first time Gambians saw a change of presidency since former Mr. President Jammeh seized power in a military coup in 1994.

Before the results were officially announced, Mr Jammeh graciously conceded defeat; but a week later, he rejected the results and called for a new election, triggering a constitutional crisis.

It took extensive diplomatic efforts led by the then Chairperson of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and several African heads of state including President Akufo-Addo and his predecessor John Mahama to kick Mr. Jammeh out of office.

Mr. Jammeh finally left the Gambia for Equatorial Guinea where he currently lives in exile.

President Adama Barrow is in Ghana on a very simple mission; to say thank you to the President and the people of Ghana for their role in averting a crisis.

He said the looming crisis in the Gambia was an Africa problem and he was happy the solution came from Africans.

President Akufo-Addo said Ghana's intervention in the Gambian crisis was to entrench democracy in Africa.

Ghana contributed 200 troops to the sub regional contingent to oust Mr Jameh when diplomatic efforts for him to concede defeat failed.

Mr Barrow has already been to Liberia on a similar mission.