Ghana to help Liberia develop its power sector

Ghana has taken a decision to offer technical support to Liberia in the power sector.

This was after a bilateral meeting was held between President John Mahama and the Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Friday (July 29) at the Flagstaff House in Accra.

The Liberian President paid a one-day official visit to Ghana where she was received at the Kotoka International Airport by Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur.

Liberia is currently challenged in power distribution, President Mahama indicated that the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) would give their Liberian counterparts technical support and training.

President Mahama made these comments at a joint press briefing after the meeting. Reminiscing the role the Volta River Authority (VRA) played in restoring power to Monrovia after the Liberian civil war; President Mahama said: he “believes we can build on that, especially in technical support.” He also mentioned that the energy companies with their vast experience will help better Liberia’s power sector.

Other issues the two leaders discussed are security, trade, and sub-regional integration.

The meeting was also used to strengthen bilateral relations between the two West-African countries. The two countries have enjoyed a longstanding relations key among them is Ghana’s role in ending the civil war in Liberia.

Speaking on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) President Mahama said it had become imperative for Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire to go ahead and sign interim EPAs with the European Union (EU). “We will continue to work to ensure that we bring the whole sub-region on board so that it advances the cause of our integration,” he added.

President Mahama mentioned that the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) had also reached an agreement with Liberia to offer training and technical support to Liberia.

President Sirleaf said she was grateful for the support Ghana continued to offer Liberia. She promised that Liberia “will learn from Ghana’s experiences”. “Liberia today is very heavily dependent on the public sector, and we are trying to change that because we know that at the end of the day sustainability is from the private sector,” she said.