Women Cross-Border Traders Face Harassment and Extortion at Ghana's Borders with No Formal Complaint Channels

Women engaged in cross-border trading in Ghana continue to face harassment, arbitrary charges, confiscation of goods and security risks at the country's frontiers, with stakeholders revealing that no formal mechanisms exist for traders to report abuses or seek redress.

The concerns surfaced at a stakeholder dialogue on safe and inclusive trade at Ghana's borders, organised by the Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in collaboration with the Ghana National AfCFTA Champions at Aflao in the Volta Region. Representatives of women traders from Elubo, Hamile, Paga, Aflao and Akanu recounted experiences of undocumented levies, harassment by officials, prolonged transit delays and the confiscation of their goods .

A Gap Between Policy and Reality

The traders identified limited access to information on approved border procedures and the absence of structured feedback mechanisms as major obstacles to reporting violations and accessing formal trade protections. The National Cross-Border Women Traders Association confirmed the absence of official complaint mechanisms, explaining that many traders prefer reporting grievances to the association rather than to Customs and Immigration services .

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Customs Division acknowledged the challenge. Its representative, Joseph Mills, disclosed that there are currently no formal channels specifically established to address harassment of traders at the borders, though affected traders could register complaints at the office of the sector commander .

The situation, stakeholders say, exposes a gap between Ghana's commitments under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the everyday experiences of small-scale traders, particularly women. Ghana has been a key proponent of AfCFTA's protocols on women and youth in trade, positioning itself as a champion of inclusive continental commerce. Yet at border posts across the country, the informal traders who dominate small-scale cross-border commerce operate largely outside the protections those protocols envision.

Calls for Gender-Responsive Reform

Dode Seidu, National Coordinator of the AfCFTA National Coordination Office, called for simplified and gender-responsive trade procedures, stronger coordination among border agencies, accessible trade information and effective complaint channels. The dialogue also identified the need for formal representation of informal traders in national AfCFTA policy discussions to ensure their concerns inform decisions on border governance and trade facilitation .

Seidu's office has been at the centre of Ghana's AfCFTA implementation efforts, which have included the development of a national strategy and the establishment of coordination structures. But the persistent complaints from traders suggest that the operational realities at border posts remain disconnected from the policy ambitions set in Accra.

A Joint Action Plan

As part of efforts to address the challenges, stakeholders developed a Joint Action Plan that includes establishing a border-level grievance-redress mechanism to provide women traders with safe and accessible channels to report violations. The plan also proposes an institutionalised platform for informal trader representation in national AfCFTA policy processes and coordinated reforms involving relevant government institutions .

The Ghana Immigration Service and GRA Customs have been identified as responsible for improving the digitalisation of border processes, including digital travel itineraries and the publication of approved fees. The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, together with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, will support improvements in border-community infrastructure, gender-responsive training and trader empowerment.

The Paramount Chief of Aflao, Torgbui Adzonugaga Amenya Fiti V, called for the establishment of a permanent Aflao Border Stakeholders Committee to strengthen collaboration among security agencies, traders and traditional authorities. He also advocated the publication and digitalisation of all approved border fees and the introduction of effective complaint mechanisms at the various border crossings .

Background: The CADAST Programme

The stakeholder dialogue was convened under the African Development Bank-funded CADAST programme—Capacity Development for AfCFTA and Trade—implemented in collaboration with ESAMI-TRAPCA, to align continental and regional trade commitments with operational realities at borders. The programme is part of broader efforts to strengthen the capacity of African countries to implement AfCFTA provisions effectively.

Ghana is one of six African countries identified as a focus for AfCFTA implementation support under similar initiatives, alongside Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda and Zambia. But as the Aflao dialogue demonstrated, the distance between continental protocols and the daily experiences of traders at the border remains wide.

Women traders, who dominate informal cross-border commerce in West Africa, have long been identified by organisations including UN Women and the African Development Bank as key beneficiaries of AfCFTA if implementation is inclusive. The challenges documented at Aflao—undocumented fees, confiscation, and the absence of recourse—are among the barriers that prevent those benefits from materialising.

The Joint Action Plan developed at the dialogue will be presented to relevant government agencies and development partners for implementation, though no timeline was announced.