President Mahama arrives in Togo on the "thank you tour"

President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday announced that Ghana would continue to cement its relations with its neighbors in the West African sub-region, in the areas of security and the provision of social amenities.

He said areas of collaboration would continue to include water supply, energy, piracy and the maintenance of peace and security on the West African coastline.

President Mahama announced this when he paid a day’s courtesy call on President Faure Gnassingbe at the Northern city of Niamatougou, in Togo.

The President’s visit formed part of his sub-regional tour he began on Wednesday to thank Presidents and people for their contribution and visit during the final funeral rites of late President John Evans Atta Mills over a month ago.

He was accompanied by Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mrs Juliana Azumah Mensah, Women and Children Affairs, Lt Colonel Gbevlo Lartey( rtd), National Security Coordinator, Victor Gbeho, former Minister of State and Alhaji Baba Kamara, Ghana High Commissioner to Nigeria amongst other dignitaries.

President Mahama who had earlier visited the Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso on Wednesday received a rousing welcome from the military and thousands of drummers and dancers who displayed all kinds of traditional dances of the Republic of Togo in honour of the President.

He was later driven to the Presidential palace at Pya, 10 kilometres from the Niamatougou Airport, where he held a closed door meeting with President Gnassingbe.

Addressing Journalists after the discussions, President Mahama said Ghana and Togo had initiated a water project at Sogakope, in the Volta Region of Ghana, where treated water would be supplied to Togolese communities along the Volta Region.

He said the governments of Ghana and Togo would in the second week of September hold a conference in Accra to discuss bilateral relations and ways to combat piracy on their territorial waters and to enhance incident-free activities at the coastlines.

President Mahama said energy was also a major area of collaboration between the two West African countries and called for the respect for the West African protocols among member countries in the sub-region.