Ghana hosted a high-level sub-regional consultation bringing together National Boundary Commissions from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali. The gathering marked a decisive step toward strengthening coordinated management of shared international boundaries, with leaders emphasizing that borders must serve not as barriers but as bridges for unity, trade, and prosperity.

Speaking at the opening, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah describes the meeting as a milestone in advancing peaceful boundary governance and deepening regional integration.

The Minister highlighted that the consultation builds on recent national efforts, including a comprehensive stakeholder workshop convened by the Ghana Boundary Commission.

Hon. Buah said the outcomes reinforced the urgent need for coordinated institutional action, inclusive stakeholder engagement, and data-driven planning to effectively manage increasingly complex border dynamics.

With borders serving as hubs of trade, cultural exchange, and livelihoods, he cautioned that they are equally vulnerable to threats such as irregular migration, smuggling, transhumance-related conflicts, and environmental degradation.

Addressing these challenges requires collective, forward-looking strategies anchored in trust and cooperation rather than isolated national responses, he stressed.

The Commissioner-General of the Ghana Boundary Commission, Brigadier General Anthony Ntem, underscored that the consultation is the culmination of extensive national engagements across participating countries. He revealed that each country had undertaken internal reviews to align its boundary governance priorities, with Ghana’s efforts guided by its 10-year strategic framework.

These consultations, he said, exposed a critical reality: fragmented approaches to border management are no longer viable in the face of evolving regional challenges.

The IOM Chief of Missions, Mrs Fatou Diallo Ndiaye noted that the consultation takes place under the framework of the Integrated Border Stability Mechanism for West Africa (IBSM), a multilateral platform established to support states in addressing borderrelated and crossborder challenges in a coordinated, evidencebased and complementary manner.

She added that discussions are grounded in the findings of the Joint Baseline Assessments conducted across IBSM member states. These assessments clearly highlighted existing gaps and the need to strengthen governance frameworks and institutional coordination.

The exercise brought together key institutions, security agencies, and development partners to assess pressing border challenges and define national priorities.

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