Consensus Prime Minister of Guinea Bissau, Aristide Gomes, has made a passionate appeal to President Akufo-Addo, to do all he can to persuade his colleague Heads of State within the ECOWAS sub-region and the rest of Africa to as a matter of urgency, assist Guinea Bissau out of her political crisis and also to hold national elections come November.

The Guinea Bissau leader made the request Thursday evening, 31st of May, 2018, when he paid a courtesy call on President Akufo Addo, at the Jubilee House as part of his West African sub-regional tour to seek help for his country.

In his address, Prime Minister Gomes said his country needs a total of nine million Euros (€9m) in order to conduct it’s elections in November this year. So far, the state has been able to raise two (2) million Euro of the needed amount.

He therefore requested of President Akufo Addo to compel ECOWAS to contribute 2.5 million Euro towards the elections. Additionally, the Consensus Prime Minister asked West African leaders to maintain peacekeeping troops currently serving in his country. He observed that their continued presence in his Guinea Bissau is critical for the peace of the state.

President Akufo Addo

President Akufo Addo in his response said he and his colleagues consider Guinea Bissau as a very important state within West Africa and therefore supporting her out of its current political challenges is a very important duty. The President to this end, indicated that he will certainly champion efforts to get all the help Guinea Bissau needs beginning this Saturday when the President of ECOWAS visits him. He also assured that at the next ECOWAS Heads of State meeting and African Union Summit coming off in a few weeks, matters concerning Guinea Bissau will be thoroughly dealt with.

Prime Minister Aristide Gomes

Aristide Gomes became Guinea-Bissau’s Prime Minister on Monday, 16th of April, 2018, in what President Jose Mario Vaz said would put a definitive end to years of political crisis in the small West African nation. Prime Minister Gomes who served as Prime Minister of the former Portuguese colony from 2005 to 2007, is thus Consensus Prime Minister of Guinea Bissau.

Gomes is tasked with leading Guinea-Bissau to fresh presidential and parliamentary elections set for November, 2018. Guinea-Bissau has been in the grip of a power struggle since August 2015, when President Vaz sacked his then Prime Minister, Domingos Simoes Pereira. Gomes, 63, succeeded Augusto Antonio Artur Da Silva, who was named in late January. Prime Minister Gomes was accompanied by Guinea Bissau’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yoad Botiam Co.