The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has secured the release of five Nigerian onion trucks that were detained in Ghana, easing trade tensions and averting what could have become a diplomatic dispute between the two West African nations.
The trucks, which had been held by a traders’ group at Kotoku Market earlier this week, were released on Friday following ECOWAS’ intervention, according to the Regional Observatory of Onion in West and Central Africa (ORO/WCA). The vehicles have since been allowed to offload their consignments.
ORO/WCA President, Aliyu Maitasamu, described the regional bloc’s intervention as timely, saying it prevented further financial losses for exporters while reaffirming ECOWAS’ commitment to promoting free trade and regional cooperation among member states.
The association had earlier appealed to the Ghanaian authorities after the trucks were prevented from delivering their cargo despite existing regional trade agreements designed to facilitate the free movement of goods across West Africa.
According to ORO/WCA, Nigeria exports around 16 trucks of onions to Ghana every week, while the neighbouring Republic of Niger supplies about 10 trucks, making the uninterrupted movement of agricultural produce vital to regional food security and commerce.
While welcoming the resolution of the immediate dispute, the organisation warned that the underlying issues affecting cross-border onion trade remain unresolved. It urged the ECOWAS Commission to convene talks involving Nigeria, Ghana, Niger and key industry stakeholders to establish a permanent framework for the movement and marketing of onions across the sub-region.
The proposed framework, ORO/WCA said, should align with the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), with clear rules on market access, quality standards, dispute resolution and cross-border payments.
The association also commended the governments of Nigeria and Ghana, their diplomatic missions, the ECOWAS Trade Directorate and other stakeholders for their roles in resolving the dispute, expressing hope that a long-term solution would strengthen regional integration and prevent similar trade disruptions in the future.
