Dr Alhassan Iddrisu is the Government Statistician
The Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, has revealed that Ghana’s Informal Cross-Border Trade with its neighbouring countries (Togo, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire) in the fourth quarter of 2024 was valued at GH¢7.4 billion.
This represents 4.3 per cent of Ghana’s total trade volume for the year.
According to him, food items dominated the informal trade space, making up 49.6% of informal imports and 41% of exports.
The top informal exports included alcoholic drinks valued at GH¢187 million and non-alcoholic drinks valued at GH¢170 million.
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The major imports were cooking oil valued at GH¢270 million, mattresses valued at GH¢171 million, rice valued at GH¢143 million and livestock valued at GH¢159 million.
Conversely, Ghana recorded a trade surplus of GH¢576 million with Burkina Faso, GH¢378 million with Côte d’Ivoire and a deficit of GH¢539 million with Togo.
Dr Iddrisu said the new data would strengthen Ghana’s ability to craft policies that reflect the realities of the entire economy.
“By measuring informal trade systematically, we are strengthening the foundation for better economic planning,” he stated.
SP/SEA
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