Ghana and Nigeria agree on a temporary corridor for transit of goods

Ghana and Nigeria have agreed on a temporary corridor to allow passage for Ghanaian traders.
To do this the Ghanaian government is expected to provide further details on the businesses that have been affected.
This is coming after ministers from both countries met to discuss the Nigerian border closure.

The Ghanaian and Nigerian governments have agreed on the temporary creation of a corridor on Nigeria’s western border with Benin.

This will allow for Ghanaian goods in transit from Benin, and vice versa, pass to their destinations to avoid the damage of goods which may arise from the closure of Nigeria’s borders with Benin.

The government of Ghana is also expected to give further and detailed on Ghanaian traders and companies that do business in Nigeria. The information will help Nigeria's officials to better identify the Ghanaian traders.

These decisions were reached after Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayokor Botchwey, and the Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, met with their Nigerian counterparts in Abuja last Wednesday.

In a statement issued after the meeting, it said that the talks were to discuss further ways of solving the challenges Ghanaian companies are facing due to the border closure.

Nigeria closed its borders with Benin in August to prevent smuggling which was threatening the local economy. It was also aimed at stopping the movement of illicit weapons and other smuggled goods through the various entry points.

The closure has however affected the movement of goods and services from the West African sub-region into Nigeria through that section of the country’s border.