The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has intensified efforts to formalise cross-border trade, warning that billions in non-oil export earnings may be lost to informal transactions as tensions rise between Nigerian onion traders and their Ghanaian counterparts.

Speaking at a sensitisation program in Sokoto on Tuesday, the State Coordinator of the NEPC, Bello Akoyi Umar, said the initiative was designed to educate traders on the urgent need to formalise export businesses to boost Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings and strengthen national trade data.

“This programme is to educate and sensitise our businessmen and women on the need to formalise their export businesses,” Umar said.

“Until exports are properly documented, the foreign exchange earnings cannot be fully captured, and such trade remains informal.”

He stressed that informal trade exposes exporters to significant risks, noting that traders operating outside regulatory frameworks lack protection in the event of disputes.

“If anything happens during an informal transaction, the businessman is left on his own. But when exports are formalised with proper documentation, the business becomes guided and protected,” he added.

Umar described the ongoing dispute involving onion exports to Ghana as “unfortunate,” attributing the crisis largely to the high volume of undocumented trade between both countries.

“Going forward, no onion will cross the border without proper documentation and the knowledge of relevant regulatory agencies,” he stated.

Nigeria is one of West Africa’s largest producers of onions, with significant volumes exported informally to neighbouring countries, particularly Ghana.

However, the lack of proper documentation has long hindered accurate trade statistics and deprived the country of full foreign exchange benefits.

Recent tensions in Ghana, including reported restrictions and disputes involving Nigerian traders, have exposed the vulnerabilities of informal cross-border trade, prompting renewed calls for regulatory compliance.

The NEPC, under its current leadership, has ramped up advocacy for export formalisation as part of broader efforts to diversify Nigeria’s economy away from oil dependence

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