On Monday, March 10, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama met with Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the interim leader of Burkina Faso, to talk about economic cooperation, security issues, and regional relations. Mahama and Traoré talk on the future of ECOWAS relations, trade, and security. Mahama told reporters following the meeting that they had talked about the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Economic Community (AEC).
He added that he now had a better understanding of Burkina Faso’s and its regional partners’ worries about their relationship with ECOWAS.
He promised President Traoré that at the upcoming ECOWAS meeting, he would share similar worries with other West African leaders.
He gave President Traoré his word that he will bring up these issues with other West African leaders during the upcoming ECOWAS meeting.
“The leadership has lost trust in one another, and although it will take time to rebuild, we must endeavor to do so,” Mr. Mahama stated.
Security was another topic of debate, especially the rising threat of terrorism in the Sahel.
Mr. Mahama pointed out that Niger and Burkina Faso had increasingly been affected by what started in Mali.
He emphasized the importance of presenting a unified front against terrorism, likening it to a cancer that will spread throughout the area if not addressed jointly.
High on the agenda were Ghana and Burkina Faso’s trade and economic relations.
The two presidents discussed how to facilitate agricultural commerce, create a direct flight from Accra to Ouagadougou, and enhance the transit corridor for Burkinabe importers using Ghana’s ports.
Expanding the petroleum transit corridor and boosting Ghana’s exports of energy to Burkina Faso were further concerns.
According to Mr. Mahama, Burkina Faso had purchased a storage facility in Tema and was thinking of shipping petrol and diesel products to Ouagadougou via Ghana’s pipeline system.
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