Michael Okyere Baafi is the Member of Parliament for New Juaben
Michael Okyere Baafi, Member of Parliament for New Juaben South and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Trade and Industry and Tourism Committee, has strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack in Burkina Faso that claimed the lives of Ghanaian tomato traders and left several others injured and traumatised.
Describing the incident as deeply disturbing, Baafi said the tragedy highlights serious lapses in government preparedness and the protection of Ghanaian citizens engaged in cross-border trade — a sector he noted remains critical to Ghana’s agricultural value chain and regional commerce.
According to him, the attack raises troubling questions about the effectiveness of the country’s intelligence coordination, diplomatic engagement, and risk anticipation mechanisms, especially considering Burkina Faso’s well-documented security instability linked to long-standing jihadist insurgencies.
“It is unacceptable that despite years of security volatility in Burkina Faso, our systems failed to provide timely advisories, enhanced protective measures, or evacuation protocols for traders who depend on these routes for their livelihoods,” he stated.
Baafi stressed that Ghanaian tomato traders play a vital role in sustaining agricultural exports and food supply chains, and therefore deserve deliberate and strategic protection from the state when operating in high-risk environments.
He further questioned whether sufficient proactive diplomatic engagement was undertaken with Burkinabé authorities and whether the necessary contingency planning was in place within Ghana’s national security architecture.
The New Juaben South legislator is calling for an immediate parliamentary inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the attack and the adequacy of Ghana’s external citizen protection policies.
He is also advocating for compensation packages for affected families and survivors, as well as a comprehensive review of Ghana’s regional security and cross-border trade safety protocols.
Baafi emphasised that Ghanaians expect decisive leadership and proactive governance, particularly when the lives and economic welfare of citizens operating beyond the country’s borders are at stake.
He urged government to act swiftly to restore public confidence and to ensure that such tragedies are prevented in the future through stronger intelligence collaboration, diplomatic engagement, and structured protection systems for Ghanaian traders operating in volatile regions.
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Source:
www.ghanaweb.com