President John Dramani Mahama has hosted Sierra Leone's President, Julius Maada Bio, in Accra for a one-day state visit, during which the two leaders discussed Ghana's recent floods and issues relating to regional cooperation.

The visit also enabled President Bio, who serves as Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, to convey his condolences and express solidarity with Ghana following the recent floods, which have displaced thousands of people and claimed lives.

President Mahama said the government had deployed the Ghana Armed Forces and the Joint Task Force to support recovery efforts, including clearing waterways and restoring normalcy in affected communities. He added that the Minister for Finance had released funds from the Contingency Fund to support relief operations being coordinated by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other agencies.

According to President Mahama, preliminary assessments indicate that about 48,000 people have been displaced, 12 people have died and several others remain unaccounted for as emergency response and relief operations continue.

The two leaders also held bilateral discussions on regional security, governance and economic integration within ECOWAS ahead of the upcoming summit in Sierra Leone.

President Bio expressed his sympathy to the people of Ghana over the impact of the floods and stressed the need for stronger regional cooperation to address climate change, urban planning challenges and disaster preparedness across West Africa.

The visit reaffirmed the longstanding relations between Ghana and Sierra Leone and the two countries' commitment to strengthening ECOWAS cooperation in support of peace, stability and development in the sub-region.