President John Mahama left for Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, Thursday to join other West African leaders for the 44th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

The two-day summit, which opens on Friday March 28, will see the heads of state discussing a wide range of issues related to greater integration, transformation and prosperity of the sub-region.

Key among the issues will be the political and security situation in Mali, the state of the sub-region's integrated maritime strategy and the state of progress on the ECOWAS Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union.

The heads of state will also review the situation in Guinea-Bissau, the ECOWAS Monetary Cooperation Programme and the ECOWAS National Biometric Card.

President Mahama will be taking an active part in all the deliberations and also hold bilateral discussions with his counterparts on a number of issues of concern to their countries, the sub-region and Africa.

Early on Thursday, Beniniois President, Thomas Boni Yayi, was in Accra to consult and discuss a number of issues with President Mahama ahead of the Yamoussoukro meeting.

Meanwhile, Presidential Correspondent, Seth Kwame Boateng, who is travelling with the President reports that the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council and the ECOWAS Council of Ministers have been meeting ahead of the main session on Friday.

At the Mediation and Security Council meeting, the Heads of State discussed the situation in Mali and Guinea Bissau and they have talked about the Gulf of Guinea Maritime security strategy.

"And at the ECOWAS Council of Ministers meeting they have discussed the ECOWAS Economic Partnership Agreement and this was one of the main issues for the council of ministers", said reported from Yamoussoukro.

Deliberations at meeting have been put together in a report that would be discussed at the Heads of States level.

Whether or not the EPA should be signed is an issue that has triggered a lot of concerns and discussions in Ghana.

Some civil society groups intensified their advocacy against the signing of the agreement earlier this week in an attempt to get President Mahama not to sign the full pact because it would lead to the  total collapse of Ghanaian industries.

It is feared that Ghana will lose some $300 million in revenue every year if it signs the Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU. 

On the other hand Ghana would have 100 per cent access to the European Market. 

Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Hannah Tetteh, who was part of the meeting between the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council and the ECOWAS Council of Ministers said whether Ghana will sign the EPA or not will be dependent on the decision of other member states.