Government Statistician Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu says Ghana’s informal cross-border trade was valued at GH¢31 billion between January and September 2025, representing 6% of the country’s total trade with the rest of the world.
Speaking on Wednesday, July 15, Dr Iddrisu said the figures mark the first time Ghana has officially measured informal cross-border trade.
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He revealed that informal trade with Togo, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire reached GH¢31 billion during the period, compared to GH¢20.1 billion in formal trade.
“With our closest neighbours, the trade we were not counting was 1.5 times the size of the trade we were counting,” he said.
Dr. Iddrisu noted that men accounted for about 70% of informal exports, while women were responsible for more than 60% of informal imports, highlighting the need for policies that support both groups.
He also revealed that Ghana’s informal food trade deficit doubled during the first three quarters of 2025, rising from about GH¢400 million in the first quarter to approximately GH¢800 million in the third quarter, with cooking oil emerging as the largest food import.
According to him, much of the informal trade is transported by tricycles, averaging GH¢2 billion in exports and GH¢1.7 billion in imports per quarter.
