Navrongo, (U/E), June 24, GNA - Mr Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister has called on West African countries especially Ghana's neighbours to take a cue from the economic crunch that had affected many developed countries and promote intra regional trade as a way of improving their economies. He stated this at the fourth sub-regional week durbar of government and people of Ghana and Burkina-Faso held on Wednesday in Navrongo in the Upper East Region.

The Durbar was organized by Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition (GTLC), and the Trade and Agriculture Policy Advocacy Organization in conjunction with the Organization for Reinforcement and Capacity Development (ORCADE) in Burkina Faso under the theme; "Harnessing the People's Potential to Sustain Development in West Africa". It was aimed at creating awareness about the ECOWAS Regional Integration process through the engagement of people and governments of the two countries to take concrete steps in actualizing the vision of ECOWAS States.

It was also to create a borderless, prosperous and cohesive region between Ghana and Burkina Faso and other developing countries where people would have the capacity to work for sustainable development and environmental preservation.

Mr Woyongo stressed the need for bilateral trade to be encouraged among African countries under the ECOWAS Protocol of movement of goods and people across borders.

He said it was time developing countries gained tremendously from one another through the concept of comparative advantage that each country had over the other in the production of certain goods and services.

He said it was only through this that African countries could become prosperous and independent instead of relying on developed countries that had been hit by the economic crunch.

Mr Woyongo proposed the establishment of information and exhibition centres at respective border posts to showcase and market agricultural and industrial products of the respective countries to promote trade. He said; "These centres should be in a position to provide adequate information and samples to potential importers of the various products," and appealed to citizens of the two countries to support the border security personnel to check smuggling.

Mr Ibrahim Akalbila, Coordinator of GTLC, said the two countries had held durbars and stakeholders' meetings and had agreed to work towards achieving the ECOWAS vision 2020.

The two countries also agreed to support both governments to identify the challenges that prevented the people from developing their potentials.

Mr Akalbila said the two countries had conducted research into tomato farming and the perennial glut of tomato in both countries and that a proposal had been made to address the issue. The Executive Director of ORCADE, Mr Hien Jonas, said they were prepared to work together to improve bilateral trade relations between Ghana and Burkina Faso to achieve the vision of ECOWAS 2020. 24 June 09