ACCRA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has pledged Accra's preparedness to support Jamaica's recovery and reconstruction efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.

The gesture from Ghana was in the spirit of the historical bonds within the African-Caribbean family and in the spirit of South-South cooperation, Mahama said at an event Wednesday marking the dispatch of a Ghanaian contingent of military engineers to the Caribbean country to support ongoing reconstruction and relief work.

He noted that Ghana had donated 10 million Ghana cedis (about 869,500 U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid to Jamaica, Cuba, and Sudan.

Mahama said that Ghana's support for the reconstruction efforts was in direct response to a personal request by Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

"Our troops are going to help with reconstruction, with building, and also with providing support for the people of Jamaica," he added.

Mahama urged the soldiers to manifest exemplary conduct throughout their tour of duty in the Caribbean country to reflect the values of discipline and humanity of the Ghanaian soldier and show themselves as worthy ambassadors of the Republic of Ghana.

The contingent of 54 personnel, including nine officers, left Ghana on Wednesday for Jamaica after a short parade at the Kotoka International Airport. Enditem