Ghana, Burkina Faso sign 7 security agreements after terror attacks

Nii Ayitey Brown 16:25 - 22 February 2026

Ghana and Burkina Faso have signed seven bilateral agreements to strengthen border security, intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism cooperation following recent terrorist attacks in the Sahel that affected Ghanaian nationals.

Ghana and Burkina Faso have signed 7 bilateral agreements following a series of recent terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of Ghanaian citizens in the Sahel region.

The accords were formalised at the 13th session of the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation (PJCC) held in Ouagadougou on 20 February 2026.

The agreements span multiple areas, including mutual security, cross-border infrastructure, disaster response, and drug control, and also mark the reactivation of a joint cooperation mechanism that had been dormant for six years.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, speaking at a press conference in Burkina Faso, said the pacts were a direct response to directives from President John Dramani Mahama and Burkinabè leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré to deepen bilateral engagement in all areas of mutual concern.

The accords include a framework for cross-border cooperation, joint efforts to combat violent extremism and terrorism, mechanisms for regular consultations between border administration authorities, and enhanced transport and road transit arrangements.

A key security focus of the agreements is the development of a new joint security framework, which Ghana and Burkina Faso say will formalise intelligence sharing, joint patrols, and coordinated counter-terrorism operations along their shared border which is an area increasingly threatened by Islamist militant groups active in the Sahel.

Both governments unanimously condemned recent extremist attacks in the region, including the killing of eight Ghanaian tomato traders in the northern Burkinabè town of Titao on 14 February 2026.

In addition to enhanced security cooperation, the 7 agreements cover:
Mutual recognition of national drivers’ licences, aimed at easing transportation and trade barriers along corridors such as Tema–Ouagadougou.

Transport and road transit arrangements to facilitate smoother movement of goods and people.
A memorandum to establish periodic consultation frameworks between border administrative authorities.

A joint disaster and humanitarian cooperation protocol to better coordinate responses to natural disasters, particularly flooding linked to the spillages of the Bagre Dam.
A cooperation agreement on combating illicit cultivation, manufacturing, and trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic substances.

The Titao attack, which occurred within a broader Sahelian security crisis, has sparked concern. Both governments have pledged swift implementation of the new framework and cooperation agreements, framing them not as symbolic gestures but as actionable strategies to protect citizens, stabilise border regions, and advance mutual development goals.

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