Ghana To Receive Cotton Seeds From Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is to supply Ghana with graded cotton seeds from the next cotton season to support the government’s Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) project.

Ghana's Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, made this known to the Daily Graphic when he joined other Heads of State and Government in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the independence of Burkina Faso.

The celebration was held on the theme, “50 years of construction of a nation: Souvenirs and hope”, in Bobodioulasso, the second largest city in that country, last Saturday and was attended by African leaders, including the Presidents of Rwanda, Togo, Mauritania, Liberia, Congo Brazzaville, Benin, Senegal, Mali, Chad, Gabon, Ethiopia and Equatorial Guinea.

They joined the Burkinabe President, Blaise Compaore, at a colourful parade of the security services, quasi-state organisations, civil society groups, non-governmental organisations and schoolchildren to climax the celebration.

Mr Mahama said Ghana and its neighbouring countries, particularly Burkina Faso, had established trade ties dating back to the era of independence, saying, “We are doing everything to enhance these relations.”

He said one major thing the country was looking forward to was using the idea of SADA to open the northern part of Ghana as a gateway to the southern Sahel region.

He said the country had trading activities with Niger and Burkina Faso, during which commodities such as maize, timber, salt, among others, were exchanged.

Mr Mahama said the government had, since last year, begun a cotton support programme to make cotton a major poverty eradication produce in the country.

He aknowledged that Burkina Faso was a major exporter of cotton, underscoring the fact that the produce was a contributor to the economy of that country and said, Ghana was making efforts to increase its cotton production in the next five years to 100,000 metric tonnes to rake in $400 million for farmers.

He commended Burkina Faso for the progress made in its elections which enabled Mr Compaore to serve a second term in office.

The celebration came alive when more than 5,000 people lined the streets of the Boulevard de la Revolution, where the ceremony took place, singing the Burkina national anthem, while 20 white doves were released to symbolise peace.

In his address, President Compaore said the 50th anniversary was a unique opportunity for the country and its people to take stock of their socio-political and economic development over the last five decades.

He said the Jubilee was a moment to commemorate the triumph of the spirit of the people of Burkina Faso and indicated his government’s intention to pay homage to its sons and daughters who fought for the reconstruction of the land and the emancipation of the people.