For many Ghanaian businesses looking beyond the domestic market, the next growth opportunity may be closer to home.
Ghana’s trade data for 2025 shows that African markets are becoming an increasingly important destination for locally produced goods, while rising food exports point to new opportunities in agriculture and processing.
Ghana exported goods worth GH₵70.3 billion to other African countries in 2025, up from GH₵59.5 billion in 2024. Over the same period, imports from the continent increased from GH₵27.4 billion to GH₵35.6 billion.
The result was a GH₵34.7 billion trade surplus with Africa, meaning Ghana sold significantly more goods to the continent than it purchased.
South Africa remained Ghana’s biggest African export market, accounting for 58.7 percent of exports to the continent, followed by Burkina Faso with 16.8 percent and Togo with 5.5 percent.
But the data shows that Ghana’s regional trade is not only about traditional exports. Businesses are finding demand for manufactured and processed products across neighbouring markets.
In Burkina Faso, one of Ghana’s largest regional markets, leading exports included plastic household products, iron and steel products, and plastic sheets and films.
Ghana also supplied products such as baby napkins, ceramic products and tiles to Côte d’Ivoire, while exports to Togo included mosquito coils, steel products and packaging materials.
The figures suggest that regional trade is creating opportunities for businesses that produce everyday goods used by consumers and industries across Africa.
A similar opportunity is emerging in food markets.
Ghana’s food exports increased sharply in 2025, rising to GH₵79.4 billion from GH₵46.1 billion in 2024. At the same time, food imports declined from GH₵38.9 billion to GH₵36.5 billion.
Cocoa products remained the largest contributor to food export earnings, but other products such as cashew nuts, fruits, shea products and processed cocoa ingredients also contributed to Ghana’s food export performance.
The growth in food exports reflects increasing demand for Ghanaian agricultural products and processed foods in international markets.
Cocoa products found major markets in countries including the Netherlands, the United States and Belgium, while edible fruits and nuts recorded strong demand from India and Vietnam.
The 2025 trade figures show that Ghana’s export opportunities are not limited to large commodity sectors.
Regional markets and food exports are opening additional opportunities for manufacturers, farmers, agro-processors and businesses capable of producing goods that meet demand beyond Ghana’s borders.
