Cooking oil remained Ghana’s largest informal food import during the first nine months of 2025, underscoring the country’s growing dependence on neighbouring markets to meet domestic demand for key food commodities.

New data from the Ghana Statistical Service’s (GSS) Informal Cross Border Trade Report shows that cooking oil consistently dominated informal food imports between January and September 2025, even though its share eased slightly over the period.

The trend points to the increasingly important role of informal cross-border trade in Ghana’s food supply chain, particularly at a time when households continue to grapple with food prices and traders rely on neighbouring countries to source basic consumer goods.

According to the report, cooking oil accounted for 16.3% of informal food imports in the first quarter before declining to 14.4% by the third quarter. Despite the moderation, it remained the single largest food commodity entering the country through informal trade channels.

Rice ranked among the next most imported products, accounting for 8.4% of informal food imports in the third quarter, while shea nuts represented 7%.

Imports of livestock, particularly cattle, declined steadily over the period, with their share falling from 6.9% in the first quarter to 5.5% by the third quarter.

Sugar accounted for 5.7% of informal food imports, while maize remained relatively stable, rising from 4.7% in the first quarter to 5.1% in the second quarter before easing back to 4.7%  in the third quarter.

Food import deficit doubles 

Beyond the commodity breakdown, the report points to a more significant economic trend which is Ghana’s widening reliance on informal imports to meet domestic food demand.

The country’s informal food trade deficit doubled during the first three quarters of 2025.

It rose from approximately GH¢400 million in the first quarter to GH¢800 million by the third quarter.

The widening deficit suggests Ghana imported substantially more food through informal channels than it exported, reflecting persistent supply gaps and continued demand for food products sourced from neighbouring countries.

Non-food trade surplus narrows

While food imports expanded, Ghana’s informal non-food trade surplus weakened over the same period.

The surplus narrowed from GH¢1 billion in the first quarter to GH¢800 million by the third quarter, indicating a shift in the composition of informal cross-border trade.

The latest figures reinforce the growing importance of informal trade in Ghana’s food economy and raise broader questions about domestic agricultural production, food security and import substitution.

For policymakers, the data highlight the need to strengthen local production and improve agricultural value chains to reduce dependence on imports of staple food products.

For consumers, the report illustrates how informal trade continues to play a critical role in ensuring the availability of essential food items, particularly cooking oil and rice, across Ghana’s markets.