A ten-member delegation from Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo have participated in the first edition of the “Abidjan Border Forum” (ABF), in Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire.
The participants were sponsored by the office of Strengthening Border Security in Ghana (SBS Ghana) project, funded by European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF).
The forum which was held from 18 to 20 October 2022 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast,
was on the theme: “Borders and Collective Security.”
A statement issued by the SBS Ghana Project Office, copied to the Ghanaian Times in Accra, yesterday, said the sponsored officials of the delegation were from the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana Revenue Authority – Customs Division and the Ghana Boundary Commission.
The other sponsored officials of the delegation were from the Togolese and Burkinabe Boundary Commissions, respectively.
It said the ABF is an initiative of the Executive Secretariat of the National Border Commission of Côte d’Ivoire (CNFCI), which sought to address issues related to border governance in Africa.
“The ABF, pivotal to the ongoing discussions on border management and security within the sub-region, shares a similar objective with one of the key results of the SBS Ghana project, which is centred on regional cooperation,” the statement, said.
It said the result sought to foster closer collaboration with counterparts in neighbouring countries to enhance the exchange of data and information between border control authorities and reduce irregular migration, smuggling of goods and other cross-border crimes within the framework of the Economic Community of West African States, Free Movement Protocol.
At the closing ceremony, the Ivorian Minister for Communications and Government Spokesperson Amadou Coulibaly, recognised the efforts of the European Union (EN) in enhancing regional cooperation.
He thanked the EU for the immense support given to the first edition of the ABF through ICMPD and the SBS Ghana project,” the statement, said.
AmadouCoulibaly said the Abidjan Border Forum ended with recommendations on cross-cutting border-related policy, issues on diplomacy and negotiation of border disputes, cybersecurity, agricultural and trade policies, gender and cross-border cooperation, among others.
The statement said, the three-day event was attended by high-level representatives from the Ivorian Government, the African Union (AU) and ECOWAS, development partners, technical experts, researchers and other key stakeholders from Africa and Europe.
The next edition will be held in Abidjan, in 2024.
BY TIMES REPOTER
