Ghana market restrictions trigger N1.2bn loss in onions as NOPPMAN suspends exports

From Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto

The National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN) announced that Nigerian exporters have lost over N1.2 billion in just three weeks due to ongoing restrictions on Nigerian and Nigerien onion trucks at the Kotoku Market in Ghana.
Addressing journalists in Sokoto, NOPPMAN National President Alhaji Aliyu Isah Maitasamu Isa revealed that despite high-level talks between Nigeria’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and Ghana’s Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, local market actors in Ghana continue to block Nigerian trucks from offloading.
In response NOPPMAN has halted all onion exports to Ghana and other affected regional markets until binding, workable trade agreements are enforced.
Maitasamu emphasized that while NOPPMAN maintains goodwill toward Ghanaian traders, no local market association should have the power to unilaterally restrict legitimate goods moving under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The association urged ECOWAS to step in as a neutral mediator between the governments, trade authorities, and industry associations of both nations to establish a formal Memorandum of Agreement.
NOPPMAN is advocating for clear, standardized rules governing cross-border market access, truck movements, offloading allocations, and dispute resolution to protect the livelihoods of farmers and traders while safeguarding regional food security.
The onion corridor connecting Northern Nigerian states—including Sokoto, Kano, and Kebbi—to Ghana represents one of West Africa’s most critical agricultural trade routes.
NOPPMAN however, reaffirmed its readiness to negotiate a transparent, sustainable framework once trade security is guaranteed.