The price of cashew nuts in Kumasi market has jumped 15% in the past fortnight. For traders like Ama Kabore, who has worked this border crossing for two decades, that is the clearest sign yet that the dispute between Ghana and Ivory Coast has moved from diplomatic cables to the kitchen table.
Tensions have escalated along the 668-kilometre frontier since Accra imposed new customs checks on goods entering from Ivory Coast last month. The move, officially aimed at curbing smuggling of cocoa and fuel, has sparked angry protests from Ivorian exporters and led to the temporary closure of two key border posts. British diplomats based in Accra and Abidjan have now stepped in to mediate, with the UK High Commissioner to Ghana holding crisis talks with both governments this week.
For ordinary families, the impact is immediate and painful. In the western region of Ghana, where traders rely on Ivorian tubers and grains, market shelves are thinning. ‘Yesterday, I could only get half my usual order of yams,’ said Kabore. ‘If this continues, my children will eat once a day, not twice.’
The dispute is rooted in long-standing grievances over trade imbalances. Ghana accuses Ivory Coast of dumping subsidised fuel across the border, undercutting local businesses. Ivory Coast, meanwhile, claims Ghana’s new checks are protectionist and violate the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) free trade protocols. The standoff is stalling lorry shipments of essential goods, including cooking oil and rice, which travel through the Elubo and Noe crossing points.
British officials are walking a tightrope. The UK has significant investments in both nations, particularly in mining and energy. But London’s primary interest is stability: a prolonged disruption could destabilise the region and create a humanitarian crisis. ‘We are facilitating dialogue,’ a Foreign Office spokesperson said. ‘Our priority is to ensure that trade routes remain open and that the most vulnerable are protected.’
Yet for many Ghanaian workers, the language of diplomacy feels distant. At the border town of Elubo, lorry drivers have been idle for days, unable to pay the new customs fees. ‘I have a family of five to feed,’ said driver Kojo Mensah. ‘The government says this is about fairness. But fairness means nothing if we cannot work.’
The standoff also threatens the livelihoods of thousands of women who cross the border daily to sell goods. Many are single mothers with no safety net. The Ghana Union of Traders has called for an immediate suspension of the checks, warning that ‘the cost of this political game is being paid by the poorest.’
Unions on both sides are pressuring their governments to compromise. The Trades Union Congress of Ghana has urged the president to ‘put the people before posturing’, while Ivorian farmers’ groups have threatened to block roads if an agreement is not reached.
This crisis is a stark reminder that trade disputes are never abstract. They are felt in the weight of an empty purse, in the worry of a mother wondering how to stretch dinner. The British mediation may produce a deal, but trust is fragile. For now, the border remains open but tense. And for Ama Kabore, every day without a resolution means another family choosing between food and rent.
