Ghana, Burkina Faso sign defence cooperation agreement to secure cross-border trade corridors

The Ministry of Defence has signed a Defence Cooperation Agreement with Burkina Faso’s Ministry of War and Patriotic Defence to enhance security and provide escort support along vital cross-border trade corridors between the two countries.

The agreement was signed in Accra by the Acting Minister for Defence, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and Burkina Faso’s Minister of State and Minister of War and Patriotic Defence, Major General Célestin Simporé.

The cooperation is aimed at safeguarding economic stability, securing critical supply routes and strengthening bilateral defence relations between Ghana and Burkina Faso.

Under the agreement, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) will work closely with Burkinabè military units to integrate intelligence-sharing and operational protocols for the protection of designated safe transit routes.

The pact also provides for joint mechanised patrols and coordinated aerial surveillance along critical arterial highways linking Ghana’s northern frontier to the interior of Burkina Faso.

The measures are expected to enhance the safety and continuity of commercial and other essential movements along the routes, particularly those supporting cross-border trade and the movement of critical supplies.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Deputy Minister for Defence, Mr Ernest Brogya Genfi; Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr Emmanuel Kartey; Burkina Faso’s Ambassador to Ghana, Mr David Kabre; and the Chief of the Defence Staff, Lieutenant General William Agyapong.