The ministry in charge of Territorial Administration began discussions on Thursday for the implementation of new relevant guidelines and recommendations, in order to breathe new life into border management, in a context difficult security situation for Burkina Faso.
‘I invite you to frank and constructive discussions, so that at the end of this session, new directions and relevant recommendations are formulated to breathe new life into the management of our borders,’ indicated the minister in charge of the Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, who read the speech of the Prime Minister, Dr Apollinaire Joachimson Kyélem of Tambèla.
According to him, it has been ten years since the Burkinabè State put in place an institutional mechanism for better management of border management, with the creation of the National Border Commission (CNF) in 2013 and the adoption of the National Border Management Strategy (SNGF) in 2015 for the period 2016-2025.
The Minister of Territorial Administration, Decentralization an
d Security, Emile Zerbo, spoke Thursday in Ouagadougou, during the first ordinary session of the year 2024 of the Borders Council.
He specified that the meeting constitutes an opportunity to examine the progress of the various ongoing files, in terms of the materialization of borders and cross-border cooperation, with a view to identifying possible shortcomings and difficulties,
in order to take the necessary measures.
The first head of the department in charge of Territorial Administration explained that this session comes after that of last March and remains an appropriate framework to take stock of the implementation of actions to manage our borders during 2023.
‘Also, I call for the involvement of all stakeholders and the pooling of resources and actions around the conclusions that will be reached,’ he added.
Mr. Zerbo maintained that the objective of the SNGF is to contribute to the impetus of the sustainable socio-economic and cultural development of border areas in an environment of peace and secu
rity.
To listen to him, the axes concern, among other things, the control of the territorial limits of the country, the security of borders and border zones, the improvement of the presence and image of the State in the border zones, the support and strengthening of cross-border cooperation.
The minister praised all the stakeholders and technical and financial partners who, during these eight years of implementation, contributed in one way or another to achieving the set objectives.
Note that this session is being held in a particular context for Burkina Faso, in search of its sovereignty, materialized by strong decisions including the withdrawal from ECOWAS and the creation with the sister countries of Mali and Niger of the Alliance of the Sahel States.
The primary objective pursued is the restoration of security in these three states in order to boost development for the happiness of the populations.
Source: Burkina Information Agency