ECOWAS chairman Julius Masada Bio visits Ghana to commiserate over deadly floods

President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, who also serves as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, arrived in Ghana on Friday for a one-day state visit to express condolences to President John Dramani Mahama and the Ghanaian people following Monday’s devastating floods that have claimed at least 34 lives across seven regions.

The floods, triggered by torrential rains on June 29, have displaced nearly 90,000 people nationwide. The Greater Accra Region recorded the highest impact with 54,712 people affected, followed by the Central Region with 21,882 displaced persons. Preliminary data showed about 140 millimetres of rain fell on Accra alone — the highest single-day rainfall recorded in years, with President Mahama attributing the scale to changing climate conditions.

President Bio, who was already scheduled to visit Ghana as part of his inaugural regional tour as ECOWAS Chairman, chose not to cancel his trip despite the tragedy. According to a statement from the Sierra Leone High Commission in Accra, President Mahama expressed gratitude that Bio transformed the visit into a condolence mission.

“Your presence transcends a visit from Sierra Leone; it represents the support of the entire region,” President Mahama was quoted as saying.

Military Deployment Ordered

In response to the disaster, President Mahama has directed the Ghana Armed Forces and a Joint Task Force to immediately mobilise efforts to restore normalcy in flood-affected communities. Military personnel have already been deployed to critical locations to clear clogged waterways, remove debris and refuse washed across parts of the city.

President Mahama has appointed Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah, Director General of Joint Operations of the Ghana Armed Forces, to spearhead a nationwide flood mitigation exercise. The task force is focused on executing immediate tactical measures to reduce flood risks, clear choked drainage systems, and secure vulnerable, low-lying communities.

The government has also released GH¢300 million ($27 million) from the Contingency Fund for emergency relief and mitigation efforts, with an additional GH¢350 million committed toward recovery and long-term flood prevention.

President Mahama has further directed Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to demolish structures obstructing waterways as part of broader measures to address perennial flooding in Accra.

— Reporting from Accra