‘ECOWAS must engage Nigeria on border closure’ – Oppong Nkrumah

Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) needs to move swiftly in engaging Nigeria on the closure of its Southern borders that has affected some Ghanaian traders.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, November 4, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, called the situation ‘a terrible one’ after he said a delegation was dispatched to visit the Ghanaian traders who have had their goods locked up at the borders after Nigeria made the decision on August 21 to shut its borders.

“It is very important for ECOWAS as a bloc to engage Nigeria on the closure of the borders because moves like this have a way of negatively impacting the West African Economic Integration project,” he cautioned.

According to him, both Ghana and Nigeria’s cabinet are expected to meet between November 8 and 9, 2019 at the next ECOWAS summit to further address the issue.

Back home, representatives of both the Ghanaian and Nigerian governments will today, Monday, November 4, 2019, meet to discuss possibilities of opening Nigeria’s border to Ghanaian traders.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry, however, last month assured members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) that it will put together a cabinet-to-cabinet modality agreement between Ghana and Nigeria to resolve the border closure.

The move was expected to allow the free movement of goods for Ghanaian traders, which have been stranded at the borders for close to three months.

The Nigerian government over the weekend escalated the issue when it announced that it will shut its borders to all trade until January 31, 2020. A move that will ultimately put Ghanaian traders in further disarray.