Ghana Traders Question New Defence Deal with Burkina Faso Over Security Concerns

The Ghana National Tomatoes Traders and Transporters Association has expressed skepticism about a newly signed defence cooperation agreement between Ghana and Burkina Faso, particularly the provision that security personnel will escort traders along key cross-border trade routes.

The deal, signed on Monday by Ghana’s Acting Minister for Defence Cassiel Ato Baah Forson and Burkina Faso’s Minister of State and Major General Célestin Simporé, includes intelligence sharing and military escorts. It is designed to safeguard economic stability, secure critical supply routes and strengthen bilateral defence ties. If successful, the arrangement could be adopted by other West African countries, following strained relations between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States.

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But traders are unconvinced. Eric Osei Tuffuor, chairman of the traders’ association, told the BBC that most tomato-buying areas in Burkina Faso have been designated hotspots by authorities, who have advised traders not to go there. He cited an incident where one of their trucks was bombed two years ago, and despite petitioning the Ghanaian mission for assistance, they received no response. “So how you wan take convince me say Burkina Faso govment fit escort me to area wey dem already don declare as danger zone?” Tuffuor asked. He added that officials from both countries had not briefed traders on how the agreement would be implemented.

The concerns are not without basis. In April, Burkina Faso lifted a ban on tomato exports that had been imposed to protect its local industry, allowing Ghanaian importers to resume business. But earlier this year, a jihadist attack led to the deaths of eight Ghanaian traders, heightening fears about safety.

Ghana imports fresh tomatoes worth over $22 million from Burkina Faso every year. The new security arrangement could help reduce transport costs by lowering risk, but implementation may run into practical difficulties. Burkina Faso’s military is already battling jihadists on multiple fronts, and deploying additional troops and logistics to escort traders could stretch the military beyond its limits. Security analysts warn that heavy troop presence could serve as a deterrent, but escort convoys could also become targets for JNIM militants operating in southern Burkina Faso along Ghana’s northern border. The Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM group is already believed to be using Ghana as a safe haven and a route for supplies, which has prompted Ghana to increase military presence along its northern borders. So far, Ghana has not suffered any direct attack from jihadist groups, but the success of the new security arrangement will depend largely on funding and coordination.

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