Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and his Ghanaian counterpart, President Nana Akufo-Addo held a close door meeting in Abuja over the weekend at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, confirmed this on his Twitter handle.
The presidential aide, did not elaborate on the agenda of the meeting between the two leaders, however, posted pictures in which the Nigerian leader could be seen escorting his guest after the meeting.
The Ghanaian government had proposed a meeting between the two leaders prior to the one they held behind closed doors on Sunday
Recently, some economic issues and accusations have been flying across the borders of the West African neighbours. The million US dollar levy on Nigerian traders, border closure by Nigerian government.
Diplomatic solutions had been sought by both nations previously to no avail. The Information ministers of Nigeria and Ghana had also engaged in some accusation and counter accusation.
Nigeria’s Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, had also visited Ghana on September 2 with a view to seeing how the issues at stake could be resolved amicably.
According to the speaker, the closure of the Nigerian shops in Ghana contravenes the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol on free movement of citizens of member states, and trade liberalisation scheme.
The ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) that was adopted in 1979 with an agreement on agricultural, artisanal handicrafts, and unprocessed products, and extended to industrial products in 1990, is the main framework for trade and market integration in ECOWAS as it addresses protocols on the free movement of goods, persons, and transportation.
The scheme’s main pursuit of consolidating the free trade area is guided by the National Approval Committee of the member states.
Similarly, Article (3) of the Revised Treaty of ECOWAS on trade and market integration stipulates the removal of trade barriers and harmonisation of trade policies for the establishment of a Free Trade Area, a Customs Union, a Common Market and an eventual culmination in to a Monetary and Economic Union in West Africa.