President Akufo-Addo on Tuesday conferred Ghana’s highest honour, The Companion of the Order of the Star of Ghana, on the President of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Chrisitan Kabore.

The award, in recognition of his distinguished leadership and commitment to the progress of his people, Burkina Faso, West Africa, is the highest honour that could be bestowed on a foreign dignitary.

The Burkinabe President was in Ghana for a two-day reciprocal state visit, following President Akufo-Addo’s visit to Burkina Faso last year.

Conferring the award on the Burkina Faso leader at a State Lunch in his honour, at the Banquet Hall of the Jubilee House, President Akufo-Addo praised him (Mr Kabore) for his distinguished leadership, saying, “He is one of the outstanding figures of modern Burkinabe history.”

“He has distinguished himself as someone committed to the welfare of his people and the progress of Burkina Faso and indeed West Africa and Africa… Indeed he’s one of the most respected voices amongst my peers in the region and on the continent,” he said.

“We’ve got ourselves a true friend and we should rejoice in that fact,” he added.

During President Akufo-Addo’s visit to Burkina Faso last year, the governments of both countries agreed to strengthen the ties of cooperation that existed between the two countries.

The two countries reinforced their cooperation in the areas of railway and road transport, agriculture, water, security, trade, works and housing and energy.

They also agreed to reactivate the Joint Technical Committee on Integrated Water Resource Management to oversee and manage the annual spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso, to reduce the perennial flooding downstream.

Both nations agreed to collaborate, with the support of ECOWAS, establish a Joint Border Post to facilitate trade and free movement of their people, goods and services. They also decided to work together in support of the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) under the auspices of the African Union.

President Akufo-Addo described as fruitful the deliberations between him and Mr Kabore in Accra, as “we have had personal meeting and meetings between delegations of both governments and have been able to cover a lot of grounds, and have no doubt when implemented, would benefit our populations.”

He disclosed that both sides had begun high-level interactions to find a solution to the spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso that leads to the perennial flooding of the northern parts of Ghana, with its attendant loss of lives, property and farmlands.

Discussions, The President said, were underway for the connection of electricity from Ghana to Burkina Faso, the transhipment of goods between the two countries, and as to how to deal with the Fulani herdsmen issue.

He disclosed that there was the need for Ghana to step up and organise the Joint Commission for Cooperation between both countries, which he said, would hopefully be done before the year ends.

Ghana and Burkina Faso, he said, shared a common history, geography, and views on issues confronting West Africa and the continent, thus, it stood to reason that the two nations increased the bonds of friendship between them.

Burkinabe President on his part, expressed gratitude to President Akufo–Addo for the honour done him and for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation.

He pledged to ensure that the relations between Ghana and Burkina Faso was tremendously improved and assured that his government would work to bring to fruition the agreements made in Accra.