Ghana and Burkina Faso have strengthened bilateral relations following high-level engagements that culminated in the signing of seven cooperation agreements and the reactivation of a dormant joint commission.
Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, disclosed on February 21 that his two-day official visit featured substantive discussions with Burkina Faso’s Prime Minister, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, and Foreign Minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré. He described the talks as constructive and forward-looking, reaffirming what he termed exceptionally cordial relations between the two neighbouring states.
Central to the discussions was enhanced security cooperation amid rising terrorist threats within the sub-region. Both countries agreed to design and implement a new security framework aimed at countering violent extremism and preventing cross-border spillovers.
They also expressed condolences over recent terror attacks and pledged closer coordination.
The two nations further established a partnership on disaster management, with particular emphasis on addressing the recurrent spillage of the Bagré Dam, which has historically triggered flooding in northern Ghana.
In addition, they reactivated the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation, following earlier engagements between President John Mahama and Burkina Faso’s leader, Ibrahim Traoré.
The seven agreements signed cover mutual recognition of national driver’s licences, transport and road transit, cross-border cooperation, periodic consultations between border authorities, border reaffirmation, disaster prevention and humanitarian crisis management, as well as collaboration in combating illicit drug production and trafficking.
The accords are expected to facilitate cross-border movement, strengthen institutional collaboration and bolster regional stability.