President charges Boundary Commission to resolve border challenges

The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo has urged members of the Boundary Commission to urgently take steps to resolve Ghana’s border challenges with its neighbours.

According to him, this move will prevent the challenges from escalating into conflicts.

Furthermore, he stressed the need for a proper demarcation to sustainably manage land and maritime boundaries and airspaces while safeguarding the sovereignty and interest of Ghana.

“I am told for instance, that one of our border pillars in the north is found in the middle of a popular drinking spot,” he said and added that aside from being a potential for sparking conflicts with neighbours, the situation also had implications for the country’s security, social and economic development,” he noted.

He made this statement during the swearing-in of board members of the commission at the Jubilee House in Accra.

Further to the above, the President referred to Ghana’s maritime border dispute with Cote d’Ivoire which was finally resolved by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea(ITLOS).

President Akufo-Addo also noted that the commission was working to find solutions to boundary challenges with Togo and Burkina Faso at Sapaliga in the Bawku West district and Paga in the Kassina Nankana district, both of the Upper East Region among others.

The Board of the Commission is chaired by, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, Lands and Natural Resources Minister, with its membership comprising of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame; the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, and the Minister of Defence, Mr Dominic Nitiwul.

The Commission is also made up of representatives from various Ministries and Departments.

The Boundary Commission was established by an Act of Parliament, 2010 (Act 795).