By Opeyemi Adelakun
Five trucks transporting onions from Nigeria to Ghana have resumed business after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intervened to secure their release, ending a standoff that had raised concerns over regional trade relations.
The Regional Observatory of Onion in West and Central Africa (ORO/WCA) confirmed on Saturday that the trucks, which had been detained at Kotoku Market in Ghana earlier in the week, were cleared to offload their consignments on Friday following ECOWAS’ intervention.
President of ORO/WCA, Aliyu Maitasamu, described the development as a major relief for exporters, noting that it prevented further financial losses and demonstrated ECOWAS’ commitment to promoting the free movement of goods within the sub-region.
The trucks had reportedly been prevented from offloading by a traders’ group, prompting fears of a diplomatic dispute between Nigeria and Ghana despite existing regional trade agreements.
According to Maitasamu, Ghana remains one of the largest markets for Nigerian onions, with more than 50 truckloads purchased regularly, while Nigeria exports an average of 16 trucks weekly to the country. The Republic of Niger also supplies about 10 trucks under current regional trade arrangements.
He commended the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ghana’s Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, the Nigerian and Ghanaian High Commissions, the ECOWAS Trade Directorate and other stakeholders for facilitating the resolution.
While welcoming the release of the trucks, Maitasamu cautioned that the underlying issues responsible for recurring disruptions in the regional onion trade had not been resolved.
He urged the ECOWAS Commission to convene a high-level dialogue involving the governments of Nigeria, Ghana and the Republic of Niger, alongside onion producers, traders and other stakeholders, to establish a lasting framework for the movement and marketing of onions across West and Central Africa.
According to him, the proposed arrangement should align with the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System.
He said such a framework should provide clear market access rules, harmonised quality and phytosanitary standards, transparent trading procedures, effective dispute resolution mechanisms and seamless cross-border payment systems.
Maitasamu said a rules-based regional framework would minimise future disputes, strengthen regional integration, improve food security and enhance the competitiveness of the onion value chain across West and Central Africa.
He reaffirmed ORO/WCA’s readiness to work with ECOWAS, member states and relevant stakeholders to develop sustainable solutions capable of promoting agricultural trade and preventing similar disruptions in the future.
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