Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced the signing of a suite of bilateral agreements between Ghana and Burkina Faso aimed at deepening economic integration, strengthening border management, and enhancing security cooperation.
This follows the deadly extremist attack that led to the killing of eight Ghanaian nationals in Titao.
Speaking at a press conference in Burkina Faso on Friday, February 20, Mr Ablakwa said the new agreements fulfil directives issued by President John Dramani Mahama and Burkina Faso’s leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who earlier tasked their foreign ministers to reactivate bilateral cooperation.
“I am delighted to report today that we have not only complied with the directives from our two presidents, but we have made a lot of progress,” he stated.
Joint resolve against extremism
Mr. Ablakwa said the two governments strongly condemned the latest violent extremist assault in the northern Burkinabè town of Titao, which killed several civilians, including Ghanaian tomato traders.
“We have decided to deepen our security cooperation,” he stated. “We are currently negotiating a security framework which will help us to work together and collectively to neutralise these violent extremists.”
He stressed that Ghana and Burkina Faso are determined to prevent the sub-region from becoming a safe haven for terrorist groups
Driver’s licence pact to ease trade corridor
Among the headline agreements is the mutual recognition of national driver’s licences, a move expected to remove longstanding bottlenecks along the Tema–Ouagadougou trade corridor.
Mr. Ablakwa noted that transport operators have complained for years about regulatory inconsistencies between the two countries.
“Our drivers have been complaining for years about the lack of harmonisation,” he said, adding that Africa still trades too little within the continent. “This agreement is going to resolve that, and it will boost intra-African trade ”.
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Citing data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, he observed that intra-African trade remains below 20 per cent.
He stressed that Ghana, which hosts the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, is determined to lead by example in removing barriers to free movement and commerce.
Transport, border and transit cooperation
The two countries also signed:
- An agreement on transport and road transit
- A framework agreement on cross-border cooperation
- A memorandum establishing periodic consultations between border administrative authorities
- A memorandum creating a joint commission to reaffirm the Ghana–Burkina Faso border
- A security cooperation to tackle violent extremists.
According to Mr. Ablakwa, these measures will simultaneously improve security coordination and facilitate the movement of people and goods.
“We want to enhance our border collaboration so that we can enhance security and we can also facilitate the movement of our people,” he said.
Disaster management collaboration
Another major agreement focuses on joint prevention and management of disasters and humanitarian crises, a response to recurring flooding challenges affecting communities in both countries.
The minister referenced the perennial impact of the opening of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso, which has historically triggered flooding downstream in northern Ghana.
“When we are not coordinating properly… it leads to the destruction of farms, of properties. Sometimes lives are lost,” he noted, stressing the need for a harmonised emergency preparedness protocol.
Joint fight against illicit drugs
Ghana and Burkina Faso also signed a cooperation agreement to combat illicit cultivation, production, manufacturing and trafficking of narcotic and psychotropic substances.
Mr. Ablakwa warned that drug abuse is increasingly threatening young people in both countries.
“It’s destroying the youth, destroying them of their future, their potential,” he said. “Ghana and Burkina Faso will not be a dumping ground… we are going to enhance our cooperation to declare our countries a no-drug zone.”
Implementation promised
Describing the meeting as “very substantive, meaningful, and impactful”, the foreign minister assured that the agreements will be swiftly operationalised.
“These agreements are not going to be decorative pieces,” he emphasised. “We have discussed strategies for immediate implementation… and we are going to make sure that they are implemented very, very successfully.”
Officials say the strengthened bilateral framework is expected to significantly improve trade efficiency, border security, disaster preparedness and youth protection across the Ghana–Burkina Faso corridor.
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