Rice, cooking oil and livestock are among the key commodities driving Ghana’s informal cross-border trade, highlighting the role of unrecorded trade channels in supporting food supply chains across West Africa.
The Ghana Statistical Service’s (GSS) Informal Cross-Border Trade (ICBT) survey found that essential food products account for a significant share of goods moving between Ghana and its neighbouring countries, reflecting strong demand for agricultural products and consumer staples.
Cooking oil remained the leading food import traded informally into Ghana during the first three quarters of 2025, although its share declined slightly from 16.3% in the first quarter to 14.4% in the third quarter.
Livestock and agricultural raw materials also featured prominently, with Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire identified as major sources of these products entering Ghana through informal channels.
On the export side, Burkina Faso emerged as a key market for Ghana’s agricultural produce, accounting for an average 63% of Ghana’s informal farm exports during the period.
The findings point to the important role border communities play in regional food distribution, where traders move goods between countries to meet market demand.
Food Trade Pressures
The data also highlights Ghana’s growing reliance on regional trade networks to meet food demand.
GSS reported that Ghana’s food trade deficit doubled during the period, rising from about GH¢400 million in the first quarter of 2025 to approximately GH¢800 million in the third quarter.
The development comes as policymakers continue to focus on food security, local production and reducing dependence on imported food products.
The statistical service identified rice, cooking oil and livestock among the dominant goods requiring policy attention, including efforts to strengthen domestic production and improve value chains in border regions.
The movement of these commodities reflects wider trade relationships between Ghana and its neighbours.
Burkina Faso has remained an important source of agricultural products, while Togo has played a major role in several informal trade categories.
The GSS data showed that informal trade accounted for up to 77.8% of Ghana’s trade with Togo in the third quarter of 2025, while Côte d’Ivoire consistently recorded informal trade levels above 60%.
