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President John Dramani Mahama has warned that growing insecurity within the West African subregion poses a serious threat to agricultural trade and regional integration, following a deadly attack on Ghanaian traders in Burkina Faso.
Speaking at the Ghana Tree Crops Investment Summit, President Mahama described the subregion as increasingly dangerous, noting that instability and insurgent activities are undermining decades of cross-border trade and cooperation among neighbouring countries.
“We live in a dangerous subregion, and a recent incident has shown what the threat of instability and insecurity is to our regional integration and trade,” he stated.
The President recounted that Ghanaian traders who travelled to Burkina Faso to purchase tomatoes were ambushed by armed insurgents in a village during a transaction. The attack, he said, resulted in the loss of several Ghanaian lives, while a few survivors sustained injuries.
“As has been the tradition over decades, we trade amongst ourselves. Agricultural products from Ghana are traded into Burkina Faso, and agricultural products from Burkina Faso; onions and tomatoes are traded into Ghana,” he noted, stressing that such long-standing commercial ties are now under threat.
President Mahama disclosed that the Ghana Armed Forces are arranging medical evacuation for the injured survivors from Burkina Faso to Ghana to enable them receive further treatment.
He expressed condolences on behalf of the government and people of Ghana to the bereaved families and assured them of the state’s support during this difficult period.
“We express our condolences to the families of those who were either killed or have been injured,” he said.
The President emphasised the need for strengthened regional security cooperation to safeguard lives, protect traders, and preserve economic integration within West Africa.
Yaw Boagyan
