Ghana and Burkina Faso have signed seven agreements to enhance cooperation in various sectors, including transport, trade and security, between the two nations.
The agreements were signed following a meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and two Burkinabe top officials, namely his Burkinabe counterpart, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, and the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo.
The agreements, signed last Friday at the end of the two-day official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, included mutual recognition of national driver’s licences; transport and road transit; cross-border cooperation; and agreement in the field of fighting illicit cultivation, production, manufacture and trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and related matters.
The rest were memorandum of understanding on the establishment of periodic consultation frameworks between the border administrative authorities; memorandum of understanding regarding the creation of a joint commission to reaffirm the border between the two countries; and prevention and management of disasters and humanitarian crises.
The agreements were signed at the conclusion of a Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation (PJCC) session which was reactivated between the two states after six years of inactivity.
Addressing bottlenecks
Mr Ablakwa said the agreements would boost intra-African trade, enhance security and facilitate the movement of people between the two countries.
He stated that the agreements would also help to remove bottlenecks and impediments to free movement, free trade, economic cooperation and assist in efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking and promote disaster management cooperation.
“This agreement will boost intra-African trade because as you know, we do not trade very well among ourselves as Africans. According to UNCTAD (UN Conference on Trade and Development), intra-African trade is less than 20 per cent.
“That is why Ghana hosts the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area secretariat, and we want to lead by example.
“With this agreement, we are demonstrating that we have what it takes as Africans to remove the bottlenecks and impediments in our way towards free movement, free trade, and enhanced economic cooperation,” the Foreign Affairs Minister said.
Assurance
Mr Ablakwa assured that the seven agreements signed with Burkina Faso would be implemented as soon as possible.
“We want to assure all of you that these agreements are not going to be decorative pieces.
“We have discussed strategies for immediate implementation, and we are going to make sure that they are implemented with all the force that we can muster, all the competences, and all the commitment that we can demonstrate,” he said.
He also condemned the recent terror attacks in Titao, which led to the loss of Ghanaian lives, and commiserated with affected families, stressing that the adoption of a new security framework would help to neutralise the threat of terrorism and violent extremism.
Mr Ablakwa added that a special conference was set for March 4 this year in Accra to bring together security experts and special envoys to discuss strategies to neutralise the threat.
“We have agreed to convene a special conference in Accra on March 4, which will bring all the security experts and the special envoys to the Sahel.
“We have invited the Prime Minister and the President, Captain Ibrahim Traore, a special guest, so that they can come and share ideas, give direction, offer their vision, together with President Mahama, so that we can work together to neutralise the threat,” the minister said.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh