A group advocating for the rights of Ghanaian women engaged in cross-border trade has called on the government to show the same urgency in resolving challenges along the Abidjan–Lagos corridor as it recently demonstrated in addressing the mistreatment of Ghanaian citizens in Israel.

Ghana on Wednesday, December 10, deported three Israeli nationals in a reciprocal response to the alleged unjustified detention of seven Ghanaians at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport on December 7. Three of the Ghanaians were denied entry and placed on return flights, prompting swift diplomatic action from Accra.

Commending the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration for its prompt intervention, the National Cross-Border Women Traders Association (NCBWTA) urged the government to apply similar decisiveness to the long-standing difficulties faced by Ghanaian women traders operating along the Abidjan–Lagos corridor.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator and Consultant, Mr Oscar Akaba-Norvixoxo, the Association noted that many of its members continue to experience harassment and extortion at the Togo border and across the Togo, Benin and Nigeria stretch, despite travelling with valid ECOWAS and professional trader identification cards.

According to the statement, these persistent abuses violate the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement and undermine the safety, dignity and livelihoods of Ghanaian traders, whose economic activities contribute significantly to national and regional development.

The Association called on the Ministry to confront the violations along the corridor with the same resolve shown in the Israel incident, describing that response as a clear demonstration of government’s commitment to protecting Ghanaian citizens abroad.

It further appealed for sustained high-level diplomatic engagement with Togo, Benin and Nigeria to ensure the enforcement of ECOWAS free movement and trade facilitation protocols, as well as the establishment of a rapid-response mechanism to address abuses against Ghanaian traders in real time.

The NCBWTA also recommended closer collaboration with the Association to provide first-hand information, verified reports and practical insights from the field, to ensure that diplomatic interventions are timely and well informed. In addition, it proposed the creation of stakeholder-led, cross-border joint trade facilitation committees at all approved border posts to proactively resolve trader-related concerns and strengthen regional cooperation.

The Association reaffirmed its readiness to work with the Ministry, border agencies and ECOWAS institutions to promote a safe, predictable and dignified trading environment for Ghanaian women operating along the West African corridor.