"Ghana uncovers GH¢31 billion informal cross-border trade economy in landmark survey" — Government Statistician

Ghana's informal cross-border trade generated an estimated GH¢31 billion in economic activity between January and September 2025, equivalent to approximately US$2.3 billion or 2.9 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).

Presenting the findings of the Informal Cross-Border Trade (ICBT) Survey at the release of the report, Government Statistician, Dr. Iddrisu Alhassan, described the survey as a significant milestone in Ghana's efforts to capture previously unrecorded economic activity and improve the quality of national statistics.

"Our message today is simple: Leaving No Trade Unrecorded," Dr. Alhassan said, explaining that the survey has revealed a substantial segment of Ghana's economy that had historically remained outside official records.

According to him, the survey found that a sizeable volume of legitimate trade conducted across Ghana's land borders with Togo, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire had gone undocumented because the goods were not processed through formal customs declaration systems.

He noted that although these transactions had remained invisible in official trade statistics, they play a critical role in sustaining livelihoods, supporting employment, ensuring food availability and facilitating regional commerce.

"This trade is not marginal," Dr. Alhassan stressed. "It feeds families, sustains jobs, keeps markets supplied on both sides of the border and contributes significantly to economic activity across West Africa."

The Government Statistician pointed out that Africa continues to record relatively low levels of intra-African trade compared to other regions of the world.

Citing data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), he noted that trade among African countries accounts for only 10 to 12 percent of the continent's total trade, compared with approximately 40 percent in North America and 63 percent in Western Europe.

He explained that one reason for this disparity is the large volume of informal trade that remains outside official statistical systems.

"You cannot plan for what you cannot measure, and you cannot protect what you cannot see," Dr. Alhassan stated, adding that measuring informal trade is essential for designing effective economic policies and strengthening regional integration.

Dr. Alhassan said the survey's findings will significantly improve Ghana's trade statistics and balance of payments estimates, providing policymakers with more accurate data for national planning.

He explained that the information would also enhance understanding of food security, revealing that nearly half of Ghana's informal imports comprise food commodities, making the data valuable for assessing food availability and affordability.

Beyond food security, the findings also shed light on employment and inclusion within border communities, where women and young people constitute a significant proportion of informal traders.

The Government Statistician further observed that the survey supports implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by providing a clearer picture of the true scale of trade occurring among African countries.

He added that the study also contributes to achieving several Sustainable Development Goals, including poverty reduction, food security, gender equality, decent work and stronger regional partnerships.

Dr. Alhassan explained that the latest publication builds on Ghana's first-ever Informal Cross-Border Trade Report, released in October 2025, which covered the final quarter of 2024.

The current report expands the coverage to include the first three quarters of 2025, spanning January to September.

He said the survey sought to estimate the volume and value of informal trade, determine the direction of imports and exports across active border points, identify the major commodities and trading partners, profile traders and trading patterns, and compare informal trade with Ghana's formal international trade.

To ensure credibility and international comparability, Dr. Alhassan said the survey covered 206 active border crossing points across Ghana's land borders with Togo, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire, spanning 10 regions.

The survey captured all legitimate goods crossing the borders without formal customs declarations, irrespective of quantity or mode of transport.

However, it excluded goods formally declared to Customs, transit goods, fictitious entries and illegal commodities such as narcotics and firearms.

He noted that the Ghana Statistical Service adopted the African Union's continental methodology for measuring informal cross-border trade alongside the United Nations International Merchandise Trade Statistics standards, with all commodities classified using internationally recognised 10-digit commodity codes.

"This means our estimates are directly comparable with those produced by statistical agencies across the world," Dr. Alhassan said.

The Government Statistician described the survey as one of the largest statistical field operations undertaken by the Ghana Statistical Service.

Out of more than 1,000 recruits, the Service trained 676 field officers, including 523 interviewers and 153 supervisors, who were deployed to border communities.

Field teams simultaneously observed goods crossing border points and conducted face-to-face interviews with traders.

Data collection was undertaken electronically using tablets for 14 days each month between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., while trade occurring outside those periods was estimated using the African Union's standard methodology.

Dr. Alhassan said the exercise was conducted in collaboration with the Ghana Revenue Authority's Customs Division, the Ghana Immigration Service, relevant government ministries, ECOWAS, and community leaders across the country's border communities.

He added that the survey covered 206 active border points, with the Volta Region recording the highest number of crossing locations, underscoring the extensive nature of informal trade activities along Ghana's eastern frontier.

The Government Statistician expressed confidence that the survey marks a new era in Ghana's statistical development by ensuring that a significant segment of economic activity, previously invisible in official records, is now measured and incorporated into national economic planning.

Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith and Hawa Abubakar