The leaders of West African countries that make up the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have begun arriving in the country for an extraordinary session.
The sub-regional bloc is expected to discuss the current political situation in Burkina Faso, following the resignation of President Blaise Compaore and the subsequent military take over, with ECOWAS chairman President John Dramani Mahama set to brief the gathering on the situation following his visit to the country on Wednesday to assess its current status.
The Heads of State are also expected to discuss the Ebola outbreak, which has killed nearly 5,000 people in the sub region since the start of the year.
[contextly_sidebar id=”9eqtAPPgxugzlvdR5Lk8aV9SwqCRyvLl”]Meanwhile, the Police have announced the closure of some major roads in the city for the summit as part of “traffic management strategies to ensure sanity and security on all the routes leading to the conference venue and other security zones.”
Traffic from Movenpick Hotel to Airport Traffic Light on the Independence Avenue (Accra Bound) will be closed to the general public.
Traffic on the Liberation Road approaching the National Theatre Traffic Light to Ministries area will also be diverted onto the Barnes Road to take detour from the Accra Polytechnic to the Ministries Area.
The Greater Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Assistant Superintendent of Police Effia Tenge told Citi News that not all portions of the roads had been cut off and that they had enough personnel on the streets to handle any traffic situation that might arise from the conference.
“It is only one portion of the road, the inner lane, that has been dedicated for this conference. The two other outer lanes have been opened to the public. We have personnel from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department who will be at major intersections to assist the vehicular traffic in case of any confusion,” she said.
ASP Tenge asked the public to cooperate with the police and traffic personnel to ensure any inconveniences are minimised.
“They should bear with us, it is in the supreme interest of the nation,” she pleaded.
By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana