President John Dramani Mahama, on Saturday, joined President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and the people of Liberia to celebrate their 178th  Independence Day celebration in Monrovia. 

The event held at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion in Monrovia,  Montserrado County, was attended by heads of state from the sub-region, including the Presidents of Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau. There were also representatives of the governments of Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and The Gambia. 

Liberia used the occasion to recognise ECOWAS member states that contributed troops to the multinational peacekeeping force, ECOMOG, which played a key role in ending the civil war as well as securing humanitarian corridors during the Liberian war. 

President Mahama received Ghana’s honour from the Liberian President on behalf of the Ghana Armed Forces and the people of Ghana for the contribution of its gallant soldiers.

 President Boakai, in a spirit of national reconciliation, said Liberia must heal itself, unite for a common purpose and inspire all for a faster development of the country.  

He called on all his citizens to leverage technology to transform Liberia. 

The celebration was on the theme “One people, one destiny, healing the past and building the future The ceremony reflected on the past, the need for stock taking, reconciliation, a united national identity to rebuild a peaceful Liberia, endowed with rich natural resources.

The President was accompanied by the Minister for Defence, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, the Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, Lt. General William Agyapong and Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Stanislav Xoese Dogbe