In West Africa, onions are among the main agricultural products traded. Driven by strong demand, intra-regional trade has grown, connecting surplus-producing areas with supply-deficit markets. While urbanization and rising food demand point to strong growth prospects, the outlook remains mixed. From tariff and non-tariff barriers affecting long-distance road trade to border restrictions, the sector faces numerous regional challenges.

In this interview, Aliyu Maitasamu Isah, president of the Regional Onion Observatory for West and Central Africa (ORO/AOC), discusses recent developments affecting the onion trade and outlines several levers to boost commercial exchanges.

Ecofin Agency: How would you describe the Regional Onion Observatory for West and Central Africa?

Aliyu Maitasamu Isah: We are a professional association bringing together key players in the onion value chain — producers, traders, transporters and other operators — across 22 countries in West and Central Africa. Our objective is to restructure the sector and improve the organization of trade between production areas and consumption markets.

The Observatory was created in Niamey, Niger, in 2003 during an inaugural workshop and was formally registered in 2006. It later established its headquarters in Sokoto, northern Nigeria. Today, the association includes members from countries such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Ghana, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Chad and Togo, giving it broad coverage across the region’s main production and consumption areas.

Institutionally, we organize a regional conference every two years bringing together sector stakeholders and development partners to discuss key structural issues such as the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the development of pan-African payment and settlement systems tailored to agricultural trade. At the end of each conference, resolutions are adopted and widely circulated. They serve as a roadmap for engagement with governments, donor mobilization and fundraising to support concrete projects aimed at developing and modernizing the onion sector across the sub-region.

EA: How large is cross-border onion trade among your member countries?

AMI: We estimate that cross-border onion trade among our 22 member countries amounts to roughly $420 million per year. This figure reflects only cross-border trade flows, both formal and informal, and does not include domestic trade within each country. As a result, it provides only a partial picture of the sector’s true economic importance.

The figure nevertheless highlights how central onions are to intra-regional trade in West and Central Africa. There are regular trade flows between surplus-producing countries such as Niger, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso and deficit countries such as Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

When a country has surplus production but lacks adequate storage or processing capacity, it should be able to export to neighboring markets facing shortages, rather than allowing produce to spoil or forcing the region to rely on imports from outside Africa

A core part of our work is to map demand, production, and post-harvest losses across countries. For example, Senegal consumes around 350,000 metric tons of onions per year and produces roughly 420,000 metric tons, but it suffers post-harvest losses estimated at between 30% and 40%, which still leads to supply shortages at certain times of the year. The Observatory’s objective is to better align surplus and deficit periods across countries.

When a country has surplus production but lacks adequate storage or processing capacity, it should be able to export to neighboring markets facing shortages, rather than allowing produce to spoil or forcing the region to rely on imports from outside Africa. In practical terms, when a country like Senegal has surplus onions it cannot store, it should be able to ship that surplus to Côte d’Ivoire or Ghana. Conversely, during periods of deficit, it should be able to source supply easily from major production hubs such as Niger, Nigeria, or Burkina Faso.

We also observe complex trade patterns driven by both price differences and product types. For instance, Nigeria exports onions to Niger, while at other times of the year Niger supplies other regional markets. Traders make their decisions based on price differences between onions sold in CFA francs in Niger and those sold in naira in Nigeria, but also on the type of onion available, including dry storage onions and wet-season onions.

Our role is to facilitate these trade flows, making them smoother, more predictable, and better coordinated. This helps reduce post-harvest losses, increase the value captured from regional production, and strengthen commercial integration within ECOWAS and ECCAS.

EA: In mid-February, Nigerian customs announced the reopening, after seven years of closure, of the Tsamiya border crossing with Benin. The decision was welcomed as a boost for regional trade. What does it mean for your association?

AMI: The reopening of the Tsamiya border crossing with Benin after several years of closure once again allows goods, particularly onions, to transit from Niger and other West African countries through Nigeria to neighboring markets via the Tsamiya-Segbana corridor. In practical terms, this corridor enables onions from Niger to pass through Nigerian territory toward other countries in the sub-region, while also facilitating exports of onions produced in Nigeria to markets across West Africa.

Following this decision, the Nigeria Customs Service also committed to removing non-tariff barriers that had been hindering the smooth flow of trade and to facilitating official transit procedures. The aim is to rely on proper documentation, including transit permits and official forms, to curb extortion and so-called parallel inspections carried out by certain state and non-state actors operating outside the regulatory framework.

During our meeting with the Comptroller General of Customs in Abuja, he assured us that all identified non-tariff barriers would be removed and that a trade facilitation mechanism would be introduced along the entire Nigerian section of the route. The objective is clear: to allow our trucks to circulate freely as long as they carry all legally required documents, without being subjected to illegitimate charges or arbitrary blockages.

We also commended the role played by the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Adviser, whose coordination was decisive in restoring the free movement of goods along this corridor. From experience, we know that when a border is closed or when the official framework is not enforced, operators are pushed toward smuggling or informal routes. Under those conditions, some public officials and private intermediaries take advantage of the situation by multiplying informal payments at checkpoints.

Now, with the official reopening of Tsamiya and the systematic use of legal export and transit procedures, we move our cargo using documents issued by the federal government and pay only the levies prescribed by regulation, such as transit taxes or export fees. As long as our documentation is in order and we use recognized export or transit corridors, there should no longer be room for non-tariff barriers imposed by individuals or agencies acting outside the rules.

EA: Why is the Tsamiya corridor considered strategically important for onion trade in West Africa? 

AMI: This corridor is crucial not only for onions, but also for garlic, white beans, dried chili peppers, and other agricultural products destined for ECOWAS markets. It is strategic because it has effectively become the main gateway linking northern Nigeria to ECOWAS markets through Benin.

The corridor is crucial not only for onions, but also for garlic, white beans, dried chili peppers, and other agricultural products destined for ECOWAS markets. It is strategic because it has effectively become the main gateway linking northern Nigeria to ECOWAS markets through Benin.

The deterioration of relations between some countries in the region, as well as decisions taken at the ECOWAS level, have significantly disrupted trade between Niger and Benin and blocked several overland routes that previously served markets in Togo, Ghana, and other West African countries. As a result, many border crossings between Nigeria and Niger, including Ilela, Jibia, Maigatari, and Kamba, are now affected by tensions between Niamey and Cotonou and no longer allow smooth access to other ECOWAS markets through Benin.

In this context, the Tsamiya-Segbana crossing stands out as the only border corridor in northern Nigeria that directly connects to Benin and remains fully operational for agricultural trade. For operators in northern Nigeria seeking to reach regional markets such as Benin, Togo, or Ghana by road, this corridor has effectively become the main route.

Tsamiya has therefore become a vital trade route, both for the transit of goods and for the import and export of fresh produce across West African markets.

EA: What concrete effects have been seen on the ground since this decision?

AMI: Over the past few weeks, we have been receiving positive feedback. Our onion trucks are now moving from Niger through Nigeria to Benin without having to make any illicit payments, and cargo exported from Nigeria uses the same corridor under similar conditions. When we are stopped at checkpoints, we simply present our official documents, which show that the goods are in transit or intended for export, and in most cases that is enough for us to be cleared to continue our journey.

There are still occasional cases where agencies other than customs show some resistance or attempt to delay passage, but we have the contact details of their supervisors. The fact that we are prepared to refer the matter to higher authorities usually resolves the issue quickly. However, with the customs administration itself, we have not encountered any particular difficulty since these new commitments came into effect.

EA: Beyond tariff and non-tariff restrictions, post-harvest losses are also a major obstacle to expanding intra-African onion trade. What measures are you taking to limit losses that can reach 40 to 50% of the harvest?

AMI: This is indeed a major issue that prevents the sector from fully benefiting from available opportunities. On our side, we are actively working with the main onion-producing countries along our trade corridor, including Niger, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso. In Nigeria, we have already achieved several important milestones. A 10,000-metric-ton onion storage warehouse equipped with modern facilities is already operational in Kano State. Another storage facility is under construction in Sokoto as part of a public-private partnership with the federal government and is scheduled to be completed in April.

This year, we also expect the commissioning of what will be the largest onion processing plant in West Africa, also located in Sokoto, with a capacity of about 30,000 metric tons per year to produce onion powder and other processed products. By combining these storage and processing initiatives, we hope to significantly reduce post-harvest losses across the sector.

EA: West Africa produces and trades large volumes of onions, yet the region still imports them from the Netherlands. What steps are needed to make intra-regional trade more dynamic?

AMI: To improve regional onion trade within ECOWAS, we need to return to the Community’s core principles: economic integration and the free movement of people and goods. I emphasize this whenever I speak at meetings or conferences.

Today, many member states still impose numerous taxes on agricultural products at borders and along transit routes, even though such barriers should not exist in an integrated regional market. These levies should be regulated at the regional level so that traders can genuinely benefit from freedom of movement and keep their products competitive. Otherwise, the additional costs are ultimately passed on to consumers through higher prices.

Today, many member states still impose numerous taxes on agricultural products at borders and along transit routes, even though such barriers should not exist in an integrated regional market

In theory, ECOWAS agreements, including the Trade Liberalization Scheme, guarantee the free movement of goods and people within the region. In practice, however, traders face a growing number of charges along road corridors. These include transit taxes, customs stamp fees, and various levies that are often imposed repeatedly at different border crossings. In some countries, these charges can exceed 10 percent of the value of the goods, while the official export fee in Nigeria is only about 0.5 percent of the shipment’s value.

A significant share of these payments does not go into public revenue but instead feeds networks of extortion involving non-state actors operating with the complicity of certain officials. In effect, some trade routes have become sources of private gain. This situation runs directly counter to the purpose of ECOWAS, which is meant to function as a genuine economic community rather than merely a political forum. It also drives up the cost of regional trade. In some cases, it is cheaper to import onions from the Netherlands than to buy them from a neighboring West African country only a few hundred miles away.

Excessive taxation along transit routes ultimately raises food prices for households and puts additional pressure on local currencies. Countries are then forced to seek foreign exchange to import products from outside the continent that could easily be traded within the region.

For this reason, we are advocating for a harmonization of levies. In practical terms, a truck transporting onion from Nigeria to Ghana should pay only one national fee at the point of departure and a single ECOWAS levy covering the entire transport corridor, for example Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana.

There should not be separate transit fees in every country followed by another tax at the destination. Today, traders pay a levy at the origin, another in Benin, another in Togo, and yet another upon arrival, with different amounts applied in each country. This system needs to be harmonized and strictly regulated. There should be one national levy at departure and one ECOWAS levy covering the entire journey, without double or triple taxation at origin, transit, and destination.

If member states work together to implement such reforms, regional trade will become smoother, more predictable, and more competitive. Onions produced in Niger, Nigeria, or Burkina Faso will move more easily to markets such as Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, or Senegal. In that case, regional integration will become a concrete reality for producers, transporters, traders, and above all for consumers across ECOWAS.

Interview by Espoir Olodo