Ghana and Togo have committed to address the challenges affecting the smooth operation of the Noepe-Akanu Joint Border Post (JBP) within six months. The JBP, inaugurated in 2018, is a facility owned by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to facilitate trade and movement of people between the two countries.
However, the JBP has faced operational difficulties, such as a lack of water, electricity, and information and communication technology (ICT) services. The bilateral agreement between Ghana and Togo stipulates that Ghana is to provide water and ICT, while Togo provides electricity for the facility. They have also agreed on a clear demarcation of roles of various focal persons of the two countries.
The agreement was reached at an inter-ministerial meeting on the operationalization of the JBP held last Tuesday. The meeting was chaired by the Commissioner of Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation of ECOWAS, Sediko Douka. The Ghanaian delegation was led by the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, while the Togolese side was led by the Minister of Public Works, Zourehatou Kassau-Traoe.
The meeting was part of the efforts to ensure efficient operations at the JBP ahead of its management by ECOWAS next year. According to Douka, ECOWAS will soon start the procurement process to hire a firm to manage the JBP. He said that by June of next year, the JBP would be fully operational by ECOWAS and the two countries.
The JBP falls under the Regional Transport Facilitation Programme adopted by ECOWAS in 2003. The program’s objectives include poverty reduction, improved regional transport services, reduced transport and transaction costs, inter and intra-regional trade promotion, free movement of persons, goods, and services, and enhanced West African integration.
The JBP is also expected to contribute to implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to create a single market for goods and services in Africa. Ghana is hosting the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra and has been championing the cause of regional integration and cooperation.
The JBP is one of several joint border posts ECOWAS has established along its main corridors to improve cross-border trade and security. Other JBPs include those between Nigeria and Cameroon, Benin and Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire and Mali, among others.
The JBP is also a symbol of good neighborliness and friendship between Ghana and Togo, who share a common history, culture, and language. The two countries have been working together to resolve their differences and enhance their bilateral relations. They have also been collaborating on regional and continental issues of mutual interest.
The JBP is, therefore, a testament to the vision of ECOWAS and its member states to foster peace, stability, and development in West Africa. It is hoped that the JBP will serve as a model for other border posts in Africa and beyond.
Source: Graphic Online
