The Member of Parliament for Jomoro in the Western region, Dorcas Afo Toffey believes the reopening of the Ivorian border at Elubo will bring back the social life that residents along the border lost due to the closure of the borders.
The MP said people around the borders have suffered in the past two years since marriages collapsed and businesses were also lost.
The legislature gave this hope whilst commenting on the reopening of the Ivorian side of the Elubo border.
Almost a year after Ghana opened its Elubo border to pave way for Ghanaians to transact businesses with their Ivorian counterparts, Ivory Coast has now opened its border.
The Ivorian borders were closed despite the low reported cases of COVID-19. It is exactly two-years, 11 months that the border was closed on both sides.
This brought the collapse of businesses and marriages since men were unable to feed their wives and children.
Pupils and students also dropped out since their parents were unable to pay their fees. Hardship was the order of the day as according to the MP, businessmen and women who were doing serious businesses started begging for money.
But on the midnight of Thursday, February 16, 2023, the Ivorian authorities performed an opening ceremony to welcome Ghanaians and Ivorians to and fro Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Commenting on the development, Madam Afo Toffey expressed gratitude to both Ghanaian and Ivorian governments for considering the plights of traders in both countries and thereby opening the border.
She said she was happy because the once vibrant Elubo which went ‘dead’ will now bounce back because businesses are going to resurrect.
“I am really happy because we are tired. My people are tired and I am tired because I have championed the reopening for a long time and I thank President Akufo-Addo that at long last, the government’ negotiations with the Ivorian counterpart has been fruitful and the border has been opened” Madam Afo Toffey said in Twi.
She said “it’s been long overdue because just last week, I spoke about it in an interview urging the president to do all he can to get the border opened and so we thank God for that”.
She explained that “it has not been easy for those border towns because Elubo was a vibrant town but people resorted to begging due to the closure.”
The MP urged the traders to go back to their businesses because she is optimistic that soon, marriages and businesses that collapsed would be rekindled.
By Kweku Antwi-Otoo|OnuaTVOnuaonline.com
