Jumoke Oduwole, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment
Ghana, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has petitioned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to investigate and intervene against alleged interference with Ghanaian businesses in Nigeria.
The petition was made at the 95th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of ministers, held in Abuja, Nigeria from Wednesday December 10 to Friday December 12, 2025.
During the meeting Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Okudzeto Ablakwa, raised concerns over alleged treatments meted out to Ghanaian businesses by authorities in neighboring Nigeria, condemned what he described as the harassment of Ghanaian investors particularly Jonah Capital PLC, a real estate company, owned by Ghanaian businessman, Sir Samuel Jonah.
The minister then presented a petition on behalf of the company, urging the council to take action to avert any cross-border trade conflict that may arise as a result.
The ECOWAS Council noted the concern raised by Mr. Ablakwa and requested for additional information on the allegations.
The Minister’s petition to ECOWAS follows nearly a year long ownership dispute over a multi-billion-naira River Park Estate in Abuja which has escalated into a full-blown corporate crisis.
There is mounting pressure on Nigeria’s Minister of Trade over allegations that Ghanaian-owned companies operating in Nigeria were being subjected to an extraordinary corporate expropriation—a development that could trigger a Nigeria–Ghana trade dispute between two countries long regarded as regional partners and economic allies.
At the centre of the controversy is a Senior Advocate of Niger and the Registrar-General of Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
The issue has reportedly triggered concerns within the political ranks in Nigeria and the controversy has also spilled beyond Nigeria’s borders.
Despite being formally petitioned, Nigeria’s Minister of Trade has yet to issue a public response, deepening concern among investors and foreign business community.
With ECOWAS now aware of the matter and the CAC RG under intense scrutiny, observers warn that Nigeria’s next steps may determine whether this dispute is resolved institutionally—or escalates into a broader economic and diplomatic confrontation between two of West Africa’s closest allies.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak