By Dennis Peprah
Sunyani, June 12, GNA – Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister has expressed concern about unscrupulous activities of nomadic herdsmen from Burkina Faso in the region.
She said the influx of the nomads threatened the prevailing peace of the region, worrying that the nomads harassed innocent farmers and also used their animals to graze and destroyed people’s farms and properties too.
The Regional Minister, therefore, called on the Embassy of Burkina Faso in Accra, to help tackle the problem before it was out of hand.
Madam Owusu-Banahene raised the concerns when Mr David Kabre, the Burkina Faso Ambassador to Ghana paid a courtesy call on her in Sunyani to begin his two-day working visit to the Bono Region.
She said Ghana cherished her bilateral relations with Burkina Faso, and thus highlighted the need for the Embassy to stem the recurring practices of the herdsmen who migrate their animals for grazing in the dry seasons and damage people’s properties and crops.
Madam Owusu-Banahene expressed worry that the presence and activities of the nomads threatened the security of the region because they caused extensive damage to crop, and often sparked violent confrontations in the local communities.
“I believe the Embassy can do something urgently to find a lasting solution to the issue and to prevent further agricultural losses and the social unrest in the communities,” the Regional Minister stated.
According to Mr Kabre, his visit was to enable him to acquaint himself and explore the economic potential of the region.
GNA