Nigeria and Ghana are the largest and second-largest economies in West Africa,respectively. The relationship between both countries was nurtured during the colonial period as both Nigeria and Ghana were colonized by the former British Empire. As the two dominant colonies in British West Africa,

Ghana and Nigeria have long cooperated closely in political organization leading to their independence. After Ghana gained independence in 1957, many Nigerians began moving to Ghana. Conversely, in the late 1970s, after Nigeria gained independence, many Ghanaians moved to Nigeria as economic migrantsHowever, due to several factors, the relationship between both countries turned sour. Under former Ghanaian President Kofi Abrefa Busia’s Aliens Compliance Order, Nigerians, among other immigrants, were forced to leave Ghana, as
part of a significant percentage of Ghana’s large undocumented population. The official reason for deportation was for lack of compliance with the immigration laws of Ghana. In 1983, Nigeria retaliated and deported up to 1 million Ghanaian and other African immigrants at a time when Ghana was facing severe drought and economic problems. This further strained relations between the two countries. As a result of a bloodless coup in Nigeria in August 1985 which brought Major General Ibrahim Babangida to power in Nigeria, Flt Lt Rawlings, Ghana’s leader at the time, took advantage of the change of administration to pay an official visit. The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues focusing on peace and prosperity within West Africa, bilateral trade,and the transition to democratic rule in both countries.

In early January 1989, General Babangida reciprocated with an official visit to Ghana, which the PNDC hailed as a watershed in Ghana–Nigeria relations. Amidst the changes evolving in the political regime of both countries over the years, Ghana and Nigeria have continued to consult on economic, political, and security issues affecting the two countries and West Africa as a whole.