Ban on grains export: Ghana’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso warns of economic repercussions

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Ambassador Gambila

Ghana’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Boniface Gambila, has raised serious concerns about government’s recent decision to impose a ban on the export of grains without proper consultation with stakeholders.

Pointing out the strong relationships between Ghana, Burkina Faso, and other neighbouring countries, which he said should have been taken into account, as such a ban could have serious consequences if not carefully considered.

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, during a press briefing in Accra on Monday, August 26, announced the imposition of a ban on the export of grains due to the ongoing dry spell affecting the Northern part of Ghana.

The ban is aimed at ensuring the availability of grains for the domestic market according to the Agric Minister.

Speaking to Citi News, Ambassador Gambila said, “I didn’t have any consultation, the minister is home and he’s looking at his figures and thinks that strategically a temporal ban or a total ban may be the solution. But I wish it had been an issue of discussion before the ban could be decided. I don’t know if there was any cross-checking with neighbouring countries.

“Because we are supposed to have a policy of good neighbourliness and so it’s always good to discuss together to find solutions. They are serious to people across the border, across Ghana, colleagues, and ministers like that should meet and discuss and find solutions for the people.

“Because when we try to do things independently, it’s like we are still dividing ourselves. Issues of reprisal, you do me, I do you. That’s why I’m saying that normally it would have been good to have a cross-border discussion.

“As somebody who has studied economies and agriculture also in terms of challenges like this, you think of import controls and export controls so that we don’t have these problems of ECOWAS and AU separation.

“I don’t know if we have looked at the quantities of produce that come from Burkina, Togo, Ivory Coast into Ghana. Whether we looked at that, I don’t know if we have looked at the data,” he stated.

—CitiNewsroom