Presidents John Dramani Mahama of Ghana and Thomas Boni Yayi of Benin have proposed the holding of a special ECOWAS summit on energy generation this year to address the energy challenges in West Africa.
The two leaders said the thrust of the summit would be to encourage sub-regional leaders to pool resources to generate more energy and ensure reliable power supply in the sub-region.
President Mahama and his Beninois counterpart made the call at a meeting in Benin last Tuesday.
President Mahama was in Benin for a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Yayi.
The Minister of Information and Media Relations, Mr Mahama Ayariga, who briefed journalists at the Flagstaff House, Kanda in Accra yesterday, said the two leaders agreed that countries with comparative advantage should be made to generate power and sell it to their neighbours.
Meanwhile, at the end of the two-day state visit, Ghana and Benin came out with a communique indicating their resolve to partner each other in the areas of job creation, port expansion, energy and national health insurance enhancement.
They also agreed to collaborate in organising an energy summit that would bring on board West African leaders to establish energy synergies among their respective countries.
Communique
Ghana's Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Mr Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, and his Beninois counterpart, Mr Nassirou Bako-Arifari, signed the communique.
Present at the signing ceremony were Presidents Mahama and Yayi.
The event was the climax of the two-day visit by President Mahama, during which he held bilateral discussions, gave lectures to a number of youth groups and workers on job creation and national health insurance.
He also met with the Ghanaian community in Cotonou.
Under a partnership arrangement, Ghana will step up its supply of energy to Benin, collaborate with its neighbours in the fight against maritime crime and support Benin in the establishment of a national health insurance programme.
The two countries will also share ideas in the areas of port expansion and the fight against corruption and other malpractices at the entry and exit, mainly the ports and harbours.
By Musah Yahaya Jafaru/Daily Graphic/Ghana
