The head of Mali’s transitional government, Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga, is in Accra for a 48-hour official visit, during which he conveyed a message from General Assimi Goita, the President of the Transition, to newly inaugurated Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.
Prime Minister Maiga was received by President Mahama on Thursday. The two leaders discussed a range of topics, including the revitalization of the major joint cooperation commission and the strengthening of the historic ties between their countries.
This visit occurs just a week after President Mahama’s inauguration and follows the inability of President Goita to attend the ceremony on January 7, despite having received a personal invitation from Alfred Mahama, the brother of the new Ghanaian president.
Accompanied by Mali’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdoulaye Diop and the President’s diplomatic advisor, Mrs. Fatou Binta Diop, Prime Minister Maiga was greeted upon his arrival at Kotoka International Airport by Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, a representative of the Ghanaian presidency, and Mali’s Ambassador to Ghana, Oumar Konaté.
This 48-hour visit is set against a unique diplomatic backdrop, as both nations are key members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
AC/fss/abj/APA