Ghana has taken the lead in Africa by announcing that it is preparing relief packages to be sent to the disaster zones in Sierra Leone.
Announcing this through his Twitter handle, Ghana president Nana Akufo-Addo expressed his condolence to the people of Sierra Leone and confirmed that his government is in the process of sending aid to the people affected by the mudslide on Monday that have resulted in loss of lives and properties in Freetown.
“I called President Ernest Bai Koroma on Tuesday to express my and the condolences of Ghanaians on the tragic loss of lives and property following Monday’s mudslide in Sierra Leone.
“Government is in the process of sending relief items to Sierra Leone to aid in the recovery process,” he wrote on Twitter.
The Economic Fighters League, a political organisation in Ghana had yesterday said it was “trying in our own small way to put together a package” to send to Freetown and also criticised African nations for saying “nothing let alone sent anything to comfort our fellow Africans in Sierra Leone and to alleviate their suffering”, it said in a statement.
Ghana would probably be the first African country to respond to an African problem.
“This is a good development for Africa. We are seeing Africans responding to Africa’s problems without waiting for the Western nations.
“It shows that Africans are now waking up and taking responsibilities for their own plight”, said Musa Hausawa Abdulkadir of the Positive Project Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the first international aid to Sierra Leone sent by Israel was received on Tuesday. The Israel Ambassador to West Africa, Paul Hirschson tweeted: It’s been a long day. 1st international aid to #SierraLeone delivered. Proud to say it’s from @Israel through@MASHAVisrael.
