Nigerian onion producers urge the Federal Government to secure the release of trucks stranded in Ghana and prevent a wider regional trade dispute

The Regional Observatory of Onion in West and Central Africa has warned of a possible regional trade crisis over the continued seizure of Nigerian onion trucks in Ghana, urging the Federal Government to intervene immediately to secure their release.

Also read: NCC Urges Rapid Fibre Rollout to Boost $1trn Economy Growth

ORO President Isa Aliyu, who is also the National President of the National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, raised the alarm in Sokoto on Thursday, July 23, 2026, saying several trucks loaded with onions had been stranded at Kotoku Market in Ghana since Tuesday, July 21, after some Ghanaian onion traders allegedly prevented the Nigerian drivers from offloading their produce.

The onion truck seizure has left Nigerian farmers, exporters and transporters facing mounting losses, with Aliyu warning that the prolonged detention of the perishable commodity could damage the onions and threaten the stability of cross-border agricultural trade.

According to Aliyu, interventions by the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana, the Embassy of the Republic of Niger and the ECOWAS Trade Directorate have so far failed to secure the release of the affected trucks.

“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,” Aliyu said.

“We call on the Federal Government to urgently engage the Ghanaian authorities and secure the immediate release of our trucks.”

The dispute has raised concerns among traders because onions have a limited shelf life and can quickly lose value when exposed to prolonged delays in transit.

Aliyu said each additional day the trucks remain stranded increases the financial burden on those involved in the supply chain, from farmers and exporters to transport operators.

“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 said.

The ORO president said the reported action was particularly difficult to understand given the longstanding movement of onions between Nigeria and Ghana.

According to him, Ghanaian traders purchase more than 50 trucks of onions from Nigeria and have historically been allowed to conduct such transactions without discrimination.

“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,” Aliyu said.

He disclosed that Nigerian traders currently send about 16 trucks of onions to Ghana every week, while the Republic of Niger supplies an additional 10 trucks under existing trade arrangements.

The figures illustrate the importance of onion trading to agricultural communities and transporters operating across West Africa, where food commodities routinely move through national borders to meet demand in neighbouring markets.

Aliyu argued that the reported blockade was inconsistent with regional trade commitments, maintaining that it violated the principles of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Area, which seek to facilitate the movement of eligible goods between participating countries.

The ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme is designed to promote regional economic integration by allowing qualifying products originating within the West African region to move between member states with preferential treatment.

The broader framework is intended to reduce trade barriers and encourage cross-border commerce.

The AfCFTA, meanwhile, seeks to create a single continental market for goods and services by progressively reducing tariffs and other barriers to trade among participating African countries.

However, the exact circumstances surrounding the reported detention of the Nigerian trucks remain unclear, including the reasons given by the Ghanaian traders for preventing the onions from being offloaded.

Aliyu called on the Federal Government to pursue diplomatic engagement with Ghanaian authorities, stressing that the immediate priority should be protecting Nigerian businesses and preventing the dispute from damaging relations between the two countries.

He warned, however, that onion stakeholders could consider further action if the trucks remained stranded.

“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,” Aliyu said.

“We believe dialogue should prevail, but Nigerian traders cannot continue to suffer unfair treatment.”

The warning introduces a potentially significant deadline into the dispute, although it remains unclear what specific measures stakeholders may consider if the trucks are not released.

The development also comes against the backdrop of recurring concerns over trade restrictions and market access within West Africa, where disagreements involving agricultural commodities can quickly affect farmers, traders and consumers on both sides of a border.

For Nigerian onion producers, the immediate concern is the risk of further deterioration of the stranded produce and the financial losses that could follow. For regional trade authorities, the episode presents another test of the mechanisms intended to facilitate the movement of agricultural goods across West African borders.

The Federal Government’s response could therefore prove crucial in determining whether the matter is resolved through diplomatic channels or develops into a wider commercial dispute.

Also read: Zenith Bank Named Africa’s Best Bank at Euromoney Awards

With Nigerian onion stakeholders calling for urgent intervention, the coming days are likely to determine whether the reported onion truck seizure is resolved quickly or becomes a more serious flashpoint for Nigeria-Ghana trade relations.