What Prez. Buhari discussed with Prez. Mahama in Ghana

• Posted on September 8, 2015
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Nigerian strongman President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday paid a one-day working visit to Ghana.

He touched down at about 10 am at the Kotoka International Airport where he inspected a guard mounted in his honour.

Dressed in a traditional agbada, the Nigerian president was received by President John Mahama, who was in a traditional smock.

Teeming Nigerian residents turned up at the airport with brooms – the symbol of Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC).

The broom signifies the house-cleaning agenda the party intends to embark upon after years of mismanagement and corruption.

After the airport formalities, President Buhari was driven to the Peduase Lodge where he held bilateral talks with his host, President John Mahama and his team.

Economic cooperation was top on the agenda with the revival of the Joint Ghana-Nigeria Commission.

The two leaders came out of the Peduase Lodge in the Eastern Region to announce the resolution after three hours of talks.

Ghana and Nigeria control 60% of trade in West Africa. Trade between the two countries is heavily driven by oil. The trade in the energy raw material stands at $1.43 billion.

No details were given on the scope of economic cooperation announced by the two leaders.

Security was also high on the agenda, especially the militant group Boko Haram and the recent alleged recruitment of Ghanaians by ISIS.

Briefing the media, President Mahama said the two countries had agreed to enhance mutual cooperation in the fight against corruption by encouraging healthy collaboration among anti-graft institutions.

President Mahama said, “We’ve also agreed as two brotherly nations to encourage closer cooperation between the intelligence and anti-graft institutions of our two nations.”

 Boko Haram

He also commended his Nigerian counterpart for putting in place measures to fight the Boko Haram group in that part of the West African sub-region.

“President Buhari has also worked commendably to actively pursue the initiative to rope in all the member states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin in the fight against Boko Haram. This is enhancing the work of the multinational joint taskforce set up following the approval of the African Union and on the recommendation of the ECOWAS heads of state and governments,” Mr Mahama underscored.

ECOWAS Common Tariff

President Mahama again lauded Gen (rtd) Buhari for implementing the ECOWAS common external tariff, saying, “It is very commendable and an exemplary step.

“I look forward for Ghana’s parliamentary approval so that we can also begin implementation soon.”

According to President Mahama, “Other issues that have engaged our attention include the economic partnership agreement and the new sustainable development goals which will be launched this month on the sidelines of the UNGA, Africa’s position on climate change, sharing of ideas on the energy sector and the current power challenges and how we can work together to ensure energy security for our two people.”

President Buhari had announced that he was establishing special courts to try corruption-related cases as part of the efforts to fight graft in Nigeria.