Mahama to dispatch Ghana military engineers to support Jamaica’s post-hurricane reconstruction

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to deploy members of the Ghana Armed Forces’ 48 Engineer Regiment to Jamaica to support reconstruction efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.

President Mahama, speaking on Wednesday during the 80th anniversary of the Fifth Pan-African Congress, said the regiment, made up of military personnel skilled in both civil and military engineering, will help build makeshift shelters for displaced Jamaicans.

“Out of our Pan-African inspirators, Ghana, we decided that we put food and other things together and ship them to our comrades in Jamaica and Cuba," Mahama told attendees of the event.

The team is expected to include engineers, masons, carpenters, and other technical specialists, state media Ghana News Agency reports.

Continental support

Mahama also used the occasion to call on African nations to extend solidarity to both Jamaica and Cuba, which were also affected by the hurricane, especially after receiving a direct appeal from Jamaican Prime Minister Holness.

"And so, if you can appeal to our African comrades to come to our aid, the extent of distruction in Jamaica is beyond our capacity alone to repair," President Mahama quoted Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Ghana’s Foreign Ministry says it has since notified the African Union, urging member states to contribute what they can to help create temporary housing.

Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, shredded Jamaica’s western region on October 28 before making landfall in eastern Cuba, where it destroyed homes and crops.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said at least 50 people died and estimated the damage at between $6 billion and $7 billion.

Mahama says Ghana has already dispatched certain relief items to Jamaica.