Member of NCBWTA says ECOWAS protocols are being violated
A group has urged the government to apply the same urgency in resolving challenges faced by Ghanaian cross-border women traders along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor as it did in addressing the recent situation involving Ghanaian citizens in Israel.
Ghana deported three Israelis on Wednesday, December 10, in a tit-for-tat move over the alleged unjustified detention for hours of seven Ghanaian nationals on arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel on December 7, with three of them denied entry and placed on return flights.
The National Cross-Border Women Traders Association (NCBWTA), which champions the cause of cross-border women, usually trading in goods based on local market demand, commended the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration for the swift response and called for the application of similar urgency to the persistent challenges faced by Ghanaian cross-border women traders along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor in particular.
A press release signed by its National Coordinator and Consultant, Mr. Oscar Akaba-Norvixoxo, noted that many of the Association’s members continued to face harassment and extortion at the Togo border and within the Togo, Benin, and Nigeria stretch, despite carrying valid ECOWAS and professional trader identifications.
“These recurring violations directly contradict the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement and continue to undermine the safety, dignity, and livelihoods of Ghanaian traders whose economic contributions are vital to both national and regional development,” the release said.
To strengthen Ghana’s regional trade commitments, the release urged the Ministry to address violations along the corridor with the same decisiveness shown in the Israel case, which demonstrated the government’s commitment to safeguarding Ghanaian lives abroad.
It also called for intensive engagement with Togo, Benin, and Nigeria at high diplomatic levels to enforce ECOWAS free movement and trade facilitation protocols, and to establish a rapid-response mechanism to resolve abuses against Ghanaian traders in real time.
The release again recommended close collaboration with NCBWTA to access first-hand information, verified reports, and actionable insights from the ground, ensuring that diplomatic interventions were timely and well-informed, and supporting and mandating a stakeholder-led cross-border joint trade facilitation committee at all approved border points to proactively address trader-related concerns and strengthen regional cooperation.
“NCBWTA stands ready to work with the Ministry, border institutions, and ECOWAS bodies to guarantee a safe, predictable, and dignified trading environment for all Ghanaian women operating along the West African corridor,” it assured.
GNA
