The Regional Observatory of Onion in West and Central Africa has raised the alarm over the continued seizure of Nigerian onion trucks in Ghana, urging the Federal Government to intervene immediately before the dispute escalates into a regional trade crisis.
Speaking to journalists in Sokoto on Thursday, ORO President, Isa Aliyu, said several trucks loaded with onions had remained stranded at Kotoku Market in Ghana since Tuesday, July 21, after some Ghanaian onion traders allegedly prevented them from offloading their produce.
Aliyu said the development was inflicting heavy losses on Nigerian farmers, exporters and transporters, warning that the prolonged detention of the perishable commodity could undermine Nigeria’s cross-border trade and violate ECOWAS trade protocols.
According to him, despite interventions by the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana, the Embassy of the Republic of Niger and the ECOWAS Trade Directorate, the trucks have yet to be released.
“We are sounding the alarm because this is no longer an issue affecting only onion traders. It is a direct threat to Nigeria’s legitimate exports and regional trade. We call on the Federal Government to urgently engage the Ghanaian authorities and secure the immediate release of our trucks,” Aliyu said.
He lamented that onions are highly perishable, noting that every additional day the trucks remain stranded translates into significant economic losses.
“Our farmers, exporters and transporters are counting huge losses daily. If this situation continues, the quality of the onions will deteriorate, with devastating consequences for everyone in the value chain,” he added.
Aliyu, who also serves as the National President of the National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN), said the action was difficult to understand because Ghanaian traders have continued to enjoy unrestricted access to Nigeria’s markets.
“Ghanaian traders buy over 50 trucks of onions from Nigeria, and they do so without any form of discrimination. We have always welcomed them because we believe in regional trade and cooperation,” he said.
He disclosed that Nigeria currently exports about 16 trucks of onions to Ghana every week, while the Republic of Niger supplies another 10 trucks under existing trade arrangements.
The ORO president maintained that the blockade violates the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Area, which guarantee the free movement of goods among member states.
Aliyu appealed to the Federal Government to take up the matter diplomatically with the Ghanaian government to protect Nigerian businesses and preserve the longstanding trade relationship between both countries.
He, however, warned that if the trucks were not released by 2 p.m. on Friday, Nigerian onion stakeholders would meet to consider appropriate measures.
“If our trucks are still being held by 2 p.m. tomorrow, we will convene a stakeholders’ meeting to decide the next course of action. We believe dialogue should prevail, but Nigerian traders cannot continue to suffer unfair treatment,” he said.
