‘Beyond the border is where food is’ - COVID-19, cross-border fish traders and food security around the Ghana-Togo border

Abstract

COVID-19 containment measures have had documented worldwide social and economic consequences. In Ghana, restrictions included a lockdown and border closures, limiting movement of people and goods therefore hindering intra-regional trade. Cross-border fish trade is a significant feature of West African countries and economies, enhancing livelihoods and food security for millions, particularly women. Using theories of food security, the border, trade networks and gender, this thesis aims at pointing out the different effects that the COVID-19 crisis has had on cross-border fish trade and food security at a local level. A two-month fieldwork in Ghana was conducted in 2021 and consisted primarily of a survey and semi-structured interviews. Online secondary data was also collected. Loss of incomes, deterioration of trade networks, difficulty and brutality in border crossing and decrease in variety and quality of diets are some of the main findings. The effects were aggravated by a non-COVID-19 related seasonal scarcity of fish. I conclude that cross-border fish traders as well as people who rely on them are now suffering from food insecurity, a condition deepened by their limited resilience and lack of agency.