Informal trade has been a key driver of Ghana’s cross-border economy, surpassing formal cross-border trade in the first three quarters of 2025, according to a report released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) on Wednesday.
The Informal Cross-Border Trade: Q1-Q3 2025 report indicated that the value of Ghana’s informal cross-border trade with its three neighbors, Togo, Burkina Faso, and Cote d’Ivoire, stood at 31 billion Ghana cedis (about 2.69 billion U.S. dollars), while that of formal cross-border trade stood at 20.1 billion cedis.
“Across the quarters, informal cross-border trade accounted for approximately 6 percent of Ghana’s total trade,” Government Statistician Alhassan Iddrisu said during the formal release of the report.
According to him, Ghana’s trade with Togo, its eastern neighbor, was largely informal, increasing from 70.5 percent in Q1 to a peak of 77.8 percent in Q3. In comparison, the formal share increased to 33.8 percent in Q2, before easing to 22.2 percent in Q3.
The report said informal trade consistently accounted for more than three-fifths of the total cross-border trade with Cote d’Ivoire, while 57.8 percent of cross-border trade with Burkina Faso was formal in Q1 before the trend reversed in subsequent quarters, with informal trade accounting for more than 52 percent.
The GSS official urged policymakers to observe the cross-border trade data and take steps to maximize its benefits to the country, especially in job creation, livelihoods, and wealth creation in border communities. Enditem
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