Five Nigerian onion trucks detained at Kotoku Market in Ghana have been released following the intervention of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), easing tensions that had threatened to disrupt trade between Nigeria and Ghana.
The Regional Observatory of Onion in West and Central Africa (ORO/WCA) confirmed that the trucks, which were detained on Tuesday, were allowed to offload their consignments on Friday after ECOWAS directed their release.
ORO/WCA President, Aliyu Maitasamu, described the intervention as timely, saying it prevented further losses for exporters and demonstrated ECOWAS' commitment to promoting regional trade and cooperation.
The trucks were reportedly detained by a traders' group at Kotoku Market despite existing regional trade agreements, prompting the association to seek the intervention of the Ghanaian government and ECOWAS.
According to Maitasamu, Ghana imports more than 50 truckloads of onions from Nigeria without discrimination, while Nigeria exports about 16 trucks to Ghana weekly.
He added that the Republic of Niger also supplies about 10 trucks under existing trade arrangements.
While welcoming the resolution, ORO/WCA said the release only addressed the immediate dispute and called for a long-term solution to recurring trade disruptions.
The association urged the ECOWAS Commission to convene Nigeria, Ghana, the Republic of Niger and key industry stakeholders to develop a regional framework for the movement and marketing of onions.
The proposed framework, ORO/WCA said, should align with the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, the African Continental Free Trade Area, and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System.
It would include harmonised quality standards, transparent trading procedures, dispute resolution mechanisms and efficient cross-border payment systems to strengthen regional trade and food security.
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