• Burkina Faso, Ghana sign seven cooperation agreements Feb. 20
• Deals cover transport, border review, narcotics, disaster response
• Bilateral trade reached $764 million in 2024

Burkina Faso and Ghana signed seven agreements at the close of the 13th Joint Commission meeting held on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, aimed at boosting bilateral cooperation and strengthening ties between Ouagadougou and Accra.

According to Burkina Faso's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agreements cover cooperation in transport and transit, mutual recognition of national driving licences, and disaster prevention and response. The two countries also signed agreements on combating the illicit manufacture and trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic substances, a cross-border cooperation framework, a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint commission to review and reaffirm their common border, and another memorandum creating regular consultations between local authorities in border areas.

Burkina Faso's Foreign Affairs Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré said the agreements "provide practical tools and concrete mechanisms to deliver tangible benefits for our economies and our people."

At a preparatory meeting for the 13th Joint Commission in October 2025, both countries voiced strong ambitions to deepen bilateral ties. The meeting reviewed the recommendations and agreements signed at the 12th session held in Accra in 2018 and examined new cooperation projects.

The two West African nations recorded bilateral trade estimated at $764 million in 2024, according to the International Trade Center, and are already engaged in several partnerships, including in security, amid escalating jihadist attacks in Burkina Faso.

The Feb. 20 meeting followed a terrorist attack on Feb. 14 in the Burkinabe town of Titao that killed eight Ghanaian tomato traders and transporters. The incident prompted the Ghanaian government to temporarily suspend tomato imports from Burkina Faso.

The two countries also maintain a mechanism for monitoring and sharing rainfall data between their respective technical agencies, enabling better management of climate and environmental information.

At the close of the meeting, both sides committed to implementing the agreements effectively to ensure they deliver real benefits and have a visible impact on people's daily lives.

Lydie Mobio