Ghana and Burkina Faso have signed a Defence Cooperation Agreement aimed at improving security along major cross-border trade routes and strengthening coordination between their security agencies. The agreement was signed by Ghana’s Acting Defence Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson and Burkina Faso’s Minister of State and Minister of War and Patriotic Defence, Major General Célestin Simporé. Under the arrangement, the two countries will work to provide security and escort support along vital supply corridors, helping protect commercial traffic and maintain the movement of goods between Ghana and Burkina Faso.
The deal comes as both countries face growing security concerns linked to instability in the wider Sahel. Burkina Faso has experienced persistent attacks by armed groups, while Ghana has increased efforts to secure its northern border and protect important trade routes from the Sahel to the coast. Ghana and Burkina Faso share a border of more than 500 kilometres and maintain strong economic and social ties. Earlier this year, the two countries signed seven agreements covering cross-border cooperation, road transport, disaster management, border administration and the fight against illicit drug trafficking.
Officials from both countries have also identified the security of trade corridors as a priority, given their importance to regional commerce and the movement of people and goods. The signing was witnessed by Ghana’s Chief of the Defence Staff, Lieutenant General William Agyapong, and Burkina Faso’s Ambassador to Ghana, David Kabre. The latest agreement is expected to deepen defence cooperation while supporting safer and more reliable trade between the two neighbours.
