Ghana’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Boniface Gambila, has raised concerns about the government’s recent decision to impose a ban on the export of grains without adequate consultation with all stakeholders.
He emphasised the importance of considering the strong relationships between Ghana, Burkina Faso, and other neighbouring countries before making such decisions, warning that the ban could have serious consequences if not carefully thought through.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, announced the ban during a press briefing in Accra on August 27.
The decision was made in response to the ongoing dry spell affecting the Northern regions of Ghana, with the aim of ensuring sufficient crop availability for the domestic market.
In an interview with Citi News, Ambassador Gambila expressed his concerns, highlighting the potential diplomatic and economic impact of the ban on Ghana’s relations with its neighbours.
“I didn’t have any consultation, the minister is home and he’s looking at his figures and thinks that strategically a temporal ban or a total ban may be the solution. But I wish it had been an issue of discussion before the ban could be decided. I don’t know if there was any cross-checking with neighbouring countries.
“Because we are supposed to have a policy of good neighbourliness and so it’s always good to discuss together to find solutions. They are serious to people across the border, across Ghana, colleagues, and ministers like that should meet and discuss and find solutions for the people.
“Because when we try to do things independently, it’s like we are still dividing ourselves. Issues of reprisal, you do me, I do you. Those ones are there. That’s why I’m saying that normally it would have been good to have a cross-border discussion.
“As somebody who has studied economies and agriculture also in terms of challenges like this, you think of import controls and export controls so that we don’t have these problems of ECOWAS and AU separation.
“I don’t know if we have looked at the quantities of produce that come from Burkina, Togo, Ivory Coast into Ghana. Whether we looked at that, I don’t know if we have looked at the data,” he stated.
He further emphasised the need for broader discussions before implementing such a significant directive, especially considering Ghana’s porous borders.
