Enacted in 2006, the prohibition was aimed mainly at poultry following an outbreak of avian influenza (AI) in Burkina Faso, according to GhanaWeb.

According to officials, the health, sanitation, veterinary, bio-safety, and commercial measures undertaken by governments and the poultry industries reversed the spread of the disease, which has not since been detected in either country.

The lifting of the ban would finally turn around the hardships inflicted on egg and chicken producers, buyers, sellers and consumers in both countries.

A statement issued in Accra copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said one significant contributor to the policy change was USAID's Expanded Agric-business and Trade Promotion Project (E-ATP), based in Accra, Ghana, which worked to reduce barriers to West African trade in poultry, rice and millet/sorghum.

E-ATP Chief of Party, Dr Ismael Ouedraogo, said several US government-funded activities helped to accelerate the ban-lifting process for Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire.

"For example, our extensive regional studies on the industry, including a baseline review of poultry trade and an assessment of the market information services needed by national poultry associations, helped the Governments by providing accurate information on which to base their decisions," Dr Ouedraogo said.

"Our workshops improved the organisational capacities of industry associations and educated representatives of the industry on our findings and best practices, particularly in bio-safety," he added.

Dr Ouedraogo noted that in all its regional activities, USAID had advocated for the poultry industry and public officials to closely work together, in order to resume trade in poultry products, particularly day-old-chicks and eggs-to-hatch, given that no HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) outbreak was reported in previously infected countries for the past two years.

He explained that USAID would continue to work so that similar bans were lifted between Ghana and Burkina Faso, Mali and Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Togo, and ultimately all over West Africa.

Dr Baba Soumare, Senior Avian and Pandemic Influenza Advisor for USAID/West Africa, said, 93It is clear that USG supported efforts are bearing fruit and are contributing to revising and lifting Al-related trade restrictions between neighbouring countries in the region."