Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Ghana’s President and Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of the Economic Community Of West African States, (ECOWAS) has pledged the bloc’s commitment to help Burkina Faso win the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

He made the commitment when he paid a visit to the West African nation on Wednesday to commiserate with his counterpart, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, following the killing of some 160 people, last Sunday, by unknown militants.

President Akufo-Addo stressed that if citizens of West Africa were to live in conditions of peace, freedom, progress and prosperity, the scourge of terrorism must be defeated in the region.

He said the fight against terrorism must be a collective effort, and, as such, it was incumbent on ECOWAS to pull together and assist countries, such as Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, that were at the frontline of the battle against terrorism and violent extremism, to win the fight.

The ECOWAS Chairperson stated that top on the agenda of the next ECOWAS Summit, scheduled to be held in Accra on Saturday, June 19, 2021, would be a firm resolution by Member States to implement a comprehensive plan of action to effectively combat the menace of terrorism.

He reiterated the determination of Ghana to strengthen the ties of friendship and co-operation with Burkina Faso, in areas such as infrastructural development, railways development, and agriculture, for the mutual benefit of their respective peoples.

President Kabore, on his part, thanked President Akufo-Addo, the Ghanaian people, and the people of the ECOWAS Community for the solidarity shown to the Burkinabe people during that country’s moments of challenge.

He noted that, with countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire, in recent times, bearing the brunt of terrorism and violent extremism, it was important that countries in West Africa rallied behind each other to defeat the menace.

The Burkinabe President who lent his support to President Akufo-Addo’s call for ECOWAS to take the lead in the fight against terrorism, was emphatic that the violent extremism could only be defeated if West African worked together.

President Akufo-Addo has since returned home.