Authorities in Burkina Faso have announced a ban on the export of fresh tomatoes.
A statement from the Burkinabè government in Ouagadougou says the suspension is effective immediately and will remain “until further notice,” to prioritise local supply for domestic processing industries.
The ban also halts the issuance of Special Export Authorisations (ASE), effectively closing formal export channels. Traders with existing permits have two weeks to complete ongoing transactions, after which all authorisations will be null and void.
The government has warned that anyone violating the directive will face sanctions, and seized tomato consignments will be redirected to local factories to support domestic agro-industrial production.
Security agencies, border control units, and technical services have been tasked to enforce the measure, while the public is urged to report violations via designated hotlines.
For Ghana, the timing could not be worse. Cross-border tomato trade with Burkina Faso has long been a lifeline, particularly for traders from hubs like Techiman, who rely on these imports to fill gaps in local supply.
But this trade has come under threat from insecurity in Burkina Faso. In February 2026, seven Ghanaian traders were killed, and others injured, in an ambush by armed militants in the northern town of Titao.
The attack, part of a growing wave of violence by extremist groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS, targeted what was once routine commercial activity.
The Ghana Armed Forces evacuated the injured survivors to Accra, and authorities have since warned citizens against travelling to high-risk areas.
Read the statement in full below:
