Ghana Boundary Commission proposes fence construction to combat border encroachments

Ghanaian

The Ghana Boundary Commission is preparing to engage with officials from Burkina Faso to discuss strategies aimed at halting encroachments along the shared borders of the two nations.

Major General Emmanuel Kotia, the Commissioner General of the Ghana Boundary Commission, expressed concerns about the encroachment of commercial activities and private developments into the buffer zone and the international boundary line,

Read full articlehighlighting the environmental and security risks posed by such activities.

In an interview with JoyNews, Major General Kotia mentioned plans to erect a fence spanning approximately four kilometers or more along the boundary line at Paga as a potential solution to address the issue.

"We have built-up areas surrounding the boundary pillars, which is against international law, so this is very fundamental, and we need to see how best we can resolve it. As a result, we invited our Burkinabe counterpart to come, and we would have a firsthand observation. We would walk through and see practically what is happening, and we would be able to see how we would litigate that problem," he explained.

Outgoing Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, also weighed in on the encroachment issue, noting that it is not limited to Paga but extends to other parts of the region.

He highlighted past efforts to address encroachment, citing successful resolutions in areas like Pusiga. However, he emphasized the need for ongoing collaboration between Ghana and Burkina Faso to address encroachment challenges comprehensively.