Burkina Faso’s Minister of State for Territorial Administration and Mobility, Émile Zerbo, concluded a high-level diplomatic mission to Accra on March 31, 2026, aimed at streamlining port transit and strengthening bilateral ties with Ghana.
This visit underscores the critical importance of Ghanaian ports for landlocked Burkina Faso’s economic stability and regional connectivity. During the mission, Minister Zerbo met with several key Ghanaian officials, including Special Envoy Larry Gbevlo-Lartey and Minister of the Interior Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak.
A primary focus of these discussions was the security of transit corridors, which are vital for the safe movement of goods amidst the ongoing regional efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism. Both nations reaffirmed their commitment to Pan-Africanism and sovereignty while calling for increased international support to address security threats across West Africa.
The core of the working visit centered on logistical hurdles currently facing Burkinabè economic operators. In a meeting with Ghana’s Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, Zerbo identified several persistent challenges, such as high demurrage costs at ports, a lack of secure rest areas for truck drivers along transit routes, logistical capacity limits, and the absence of a formal seat agreement for the Burkinabè Shippers’ Council.
In response to these concerns, the Ghanaian government pledged to take immediate action to alleviate transit constraints. Minister Nikpe announced the formation of a joint task force dedicated to identifying and resolving these logistical bottlenecks. This collaborative effort follows the 13th session of the Joint Cooperation Commission held in Ouagadougou earlier this year, signaling a renewed momentum in the partnership between the two neighboring countries.
HO/te/lb/abj/APA