Relationship dossier
Ghana
Nigeria
Relationship assessment
Regional cooperation and bilateral engagement coexist with recurring trade and migration tensions.
Ghana toward Nigeria
+35Ghana participates with Nigeria in ECOWAS cooperation and bilateral engagement on regional security and trade. Ghanaian measures affecting Nigerian traders have also contributed to friction.
Nigeria toward Ghana
+35Nigeria cooperates with Ghana through ECOWAS and bilateral regional engagement, including on security and trade. Nigerian border and trade restrictions have at times strained relations with Ghana.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship combines sustained regional and bilateral cooperation with recurring economic and migration-related disputes. ECOWAS provides an enduring framework for engagement, while trade restrictions and disagreements affecting citizens have periodically strained ties.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Ghana and Nigeria have a substantial regional relationship, including cooperation through ECOWAS and bilateral engagement on trade and security. Their governments have also faced recurring friction over trade restrictions, economic measures and treatment of citizens. Cooperation is meaningful but does not amount to an uninterrupted close partnership.
Areas of tension
- Trade restrictions and border measures affecting commerce between the countries
- Treatment and economic activity of citizens in each other's territory
Key developments
Ghana and Nigeria participate in the ECOWAS framework, which provides a continuing basis for regional economic and political cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation on trade and security are unclear.
- The extent to which past trade and migration disputes have been resolved is uncertain.