Burkina Faso/ Ghana: End of the dispute, place for cooperation!

The president of the Republic of Ghana Nana Akufo- Addo was on Wednesday, April 10th, 2023, in a friendship and working visit in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. This visit is giving a new impetus to the cooperation between the two countries. But above all, it marks the end of the dispute that opposed these neighboring countries.

Indeed, relations between Burkina Faso and Ghana had become tense in December 2022, following remarks deemed «unfriendly» by President Nana Akufo-Addo about the land of upright people.

The Ghanaian President had stated on the sidelines of the US-Africa summit in Washington that Burkina Faso had signed an «agreement» with the Russian paramilitary group WAGNER whose elements would be deployed on its territory.

As a result, the Burkinabe government had strongly reacted by recalling its ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Pingrenoma Zagré, for consultations.

The Ghanaian ambassador in Ouagadougou had also been summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which deemed the remarks «unacceptable» coming from a neighboring country with historical and geographical ties.

In this regard, the Ghanaian diplomat had assured that his President’s statement was conditional and «was not intended to condemn Burkina Faso».

In a spirit of appeasement, Nana Akufo-Addo had then sent a delegation of about ten people to Ouagadougou, including his special advisor on the Accra initiative, General Francis Adu-Amanfoh, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed forces.

As if this were not enough, the Ghanaian President himself arrived in the Burkinabe capital on Wednesday to clear the air with His Excellency Captain Ibrahim Traoré, President of the Transition and Head of State, who welcomed him at Ouagadougou International Airport.

 A commendable step! Thus, the two Heads of State discussed major issues in the sub-region, facing the security challenge.

They also exchanged views on issues of common interest to the Burkinabe and Ghanaian peoples.

It should be noted that Ghana, the neighboring country of Burkina Faso, is currently facing an increasingly recurrent terrorist threat.

A few weeks ago, Ghana deployed a thousand soldiers in its northern region at the border with Burkina Faso to strengthen the fight against terrorism.

Yannick H.