In the face of escalating instability and cross-border crimes in West Africa, Ghana and Togo have launched a historic initiative to restore their fast-disappearing border markers.
Experts from both countries will build 50 new international boundary pillars along a 40-kilometer stretch.
According to Ghanaian officials, the building of the boundary pillars has become required because some of them had deteriorated or been vandalised.
In the 1970s, the century-old markers were last renovated.
The current measure, according to the authorities, is intended to prevent boundary encroachment and may also aid in the resolution of Ghana’s long-running maritime dispute with Togo in the Gulf of Guinea.
However, other residents are concerned that the practice may put them on the wrong side of the boundary.
Some of the land borders between Togo and Ghana are undetectable, with communities from both nations interacting for social and commercial purposes. But there have been communal tensions too in some areas.
The two countries have also been negotiating for several years over their maritime border. In this regard, their respective leaders, President Faure Gnassingbé and President Nana Akufo-Addo, recently agreed to conduct talks that would improve bilateral relations between Togo and Ghana.
The restoration of these border markers, some of which have disappeared or are damaged, is funded by the African Union’s “Border Program.”
In comparison to previous years, Togo has significantly improved its ranking under the“Trading across borders” indicator by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.