Ghana and Togo are to establish a joint border post at Aflao under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to foster the easy movement of people, goods and services between the two countries.
Under the project, customs officials from Ghana and Togo will be organised to manage a joint border post to reduce the frustration that people go through at the border.
When successful, the project, which will be on a pilot basis, will be replicated at other borders in the West African sub-region.
At the meet-the-press organised by the Ministry of Information and Media Relations in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Hanna Tetteh, said the project, which had already been approved by Cabinet, would be rolled out soon.
Support for Regional Integration
She said the ministry continued to engage with Ghana’s economic partners within ECOWAS, with the aim of promoting greater and freer trade and movement of persons, goods and services within the community
Ms Tetteh said although Africa was grappling with a number of developmental and socio-economic issues, such as poor or lack of infrastructure, poverty, environmental degradation and child, drug and arms trafficking, Ghana was concious that its development aspirations were inextricably linked to those of other African countries.
She said it was, therefore, one of the ministry’s objectives to ensure that Ghana’s policy on Africa addressed the myriad of development challenges that confronted the continent.
Economic diplomacy
Ms Tetteh said the need for economic diplomacy was very crucial when one considered the current global economic realities, adding that the government had recognised that fact and taken a firm stand in employing economic diplomacy as one of the main tools to achieve its foreign policy objectives.
Multilateral Diplomacy
She said since Ghana was a responsible member of the international community, multilateral diplomacy was no less important for the country, saying multilateral institutions provided a forum for dialogue on global issues that required coordinated action at the international level.
On the issue of Syria and the use of chemical weapons, she said Ghana, which is part of a multilateral community, must allow processes to work, saying although it condemned the use of chemical weapons in Syria or anywhere, there was the need to allow the institutions put in place to function.
Promoting the welfare of Ghanaian citizens abroad
She said it was the cardinal responsibility of the ministry to promote and protect the interest and rights of all Ghanaians, both at home and abroad, in their dealings with foreign governments and individuals at all times.
To that end, the ministry, she said, continued to address various complaints brought to its attention by a cross-section of Ghanaians against foreign individuals, companies and diplomatic missions, while Ghana’s missions also attended to the consular and welfare needs of Ghanaians abroad.
Passports
Ms Tetteh said the ministry was in the process of opening passport application centres in Bolgatanga, Cape Coast, Koforidua and Wa by the end of the year, saying the initiative would ensure that all regional capitals had passport application centres to bring the service to the doorstep of all prospective applicants.
She said the ministry was working around the clock to ensure the issuance of biometric passports to potential Ghanaian applicants residing abroad.
In that regard, Ms Tetteh said, she would present a memo to Cabinet shortly for consideration and approval for the extension of the biometric project to Ghana’s missions abroad.
On passports for Muslims who were to embark on this year’s Hajj, the minister said she had directed that all “Hajj applicants” be given full and timely attention.
By Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho/Daily Graphic/Ghana
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