AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Start by registering your business with the Registrar General's Department and registering as an exporter with the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA). For each shipment, the relevant permit-issuing agency inspects and certifies the goods, you obtain a certificate of origin and any phytosanitary certificate, and GRA Customs checks the documents at the exit point. On the Nigerian side, your buyer needs Form M, any NAFDAC or SONCAP approval, and to pay the duties and levies set by HS code.
The Ghanaian export procedure
GEPA's export procedures page (last modified June 2022) gives the sequence. Fees and validity are not stated on it, so ask GEPA (gepa@gepa.gov.gh) for current amounts.
- Register the business with the Registrar General's Department.
- Register with GEPA as an exporting company, using its form and copies of your business certificates.
- Where needed, contact the relevant permit-issuing agency (PIA) to inspect your premises and production facilities.
- The PIA sends its inspection report to GEPA (copy to you); GEPA completes registration, issues the certificate and copies the Ghana Revenue Authority.
- For each shipment, the PIA tests samples, inspects the consignment and issues an Export Consignment Certificate.
- Obtain other documents the route needs, such as a certificate of origin and a phytosanitary certificate.
- Present everything to GRA Customs at the exit point.
- Send the importer the consignment details.
Which agency inspects your goods
The PIA depends on the product. For prepackaged food, the FDA's Guideline on Processing of Export Permit and Clearance of Prepackaged Foods (effective 30 June 2025) applies: the product must be FDA-registered, you write to the FDA listing batches and quantities, apply on the eMDA portal selecting "For Export", and the FDA inspects before clearance. Fees follow L.I. 2481 (2023). For plants and fresh produce, a phytosanitary certificate is part of GEPA's list. Ask GEPA which PIA covers your product if it is not obvious.
The Nigerian import side
Your goods are only sold when they clear in Nigeria, so plan the buyer's side as carefully as yours.
| Nigerian requirement | What it means for a Ghanaian exporter |
|---|---|
| Form M | The Nigerian importer registers the import through its bank before shipment; your proforma invoice feeds it. See Form M for Ghanaian goods. |
| NAFDAC registration | Food, drinks, cosmetics, medicines and similar products must be registered before sale in Nigeria. |
| SONCAP | For regulated manufactured goods; SON's 2022 schedule exempts food and medicines. Fees are paid by the exporter per Bureau Veritas's data sheet. |
| Duties and levies | Set by HS code; DHL's June 2026 guide lists ETLS levy 0.5% of CIF, CISS 1% of FOB, 7% surcharge on duty, 7.5% VAT. |
| ECOWAS origin | Goods approved under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme may get preferential treatment; see ETLS certificates. |
Bureau Veritas's Nigeria SONCAP data sheet (October 2024) gives product certificate fees of US$500 (unregistered), US$1,000 (registered) and US$2,000 (licensed), and US$350 per shipment certificate, and notes destination inspection is not allowed: the work is done before the goods leave.
Choosing your first product
Processed foods, cosmetics and building materials each fall under a different Nigerian regulator, and the regulator often decides how quickly you can start. Products that need NAFDAC registration must be registered before they can be sold, so ask NAFDAC for current timelines; products under SONCAP need a certificate before each shipment. Pick a first product whose Nigerian path you understand. For shea, see exporting shea butter to Nigeria.
Mistakes first-time exporters make
- Shipping before the Nigerian buyer has opened Form M, so the goods cannot be cleared.
- Assuming a Ghanaian FDA registration lets the product be sold in Nigeria; NAFDAC registration is separate.
- Leaving SONCAP to the buyer when the certificate must be in place before the goods leave.
- Quoting a price without the Nigerian HS code, so duty and levies are a surprise.
- Using a certificate of origin when the buyer needed an ETLS certificate for preferential treatment.
- Not agreeing who pays freight, insurance and border costs on the coastal road.
What to check first
- Your Registrar General and GEPA registrations are current, and copies are ready for the buyer's bank.
- Your production capacity can meet repeat orders, not just the first one.
- Which permit-issuing agency covers your product, and its export permit steps.
- Your buyer's Nigerian registrations (NAFDAC or SONCAP) for the exact product.
- The Incoterm and payment terms in a written contract.
- Who pays SONCAP, inspection and border costs, written into the price.
Worked example
Example only. A Tema company exports cartons of packaged plantain chips to a Lagos distributor. In Ghana it is registered with the Registrar General, GEPA and the FDA, and applies for an FDA export permit for each batch. The Lagos distributor holds NAFDAC registration for the brand and opens Form M against the Ghanaian invoice. Food is exempt from SONCAP. At an invoice value of US$10,000 plus US$1,200 freight and US$100 insurance, the CIF is US$11,300; the ETLS levy at 0.5% of CIF would be US$56.50 if that levy applied to the line, before duty and VAT.
Where Pryme fits
A Ghanaian exporter selling to Nigeria often wants to receive naira or dollars from Nigerian buyers. A Pryme Business account holds naira, dollars, pounds and euros, and Swap converts only when you choose. Outside Nigeria, Pryme works through regulated partners; the app shows the rate and the fee before you approve.
Questions people ask
Do I need to register with GEPA to export from Ghana?
GEPA's procedure is that exporters register with GEPA after registering their business; the certificate is copied to GRA.
What documents do I need to export from Ghana to Nigeria?
GEPA names the Export Consignment Certificate, certificate of origin and phytosanitary certificate where relevant, presented to GRA Customs; food also needs an FDA export permit.
Who pays SONCAP fees for goods going into Nigeria?
Bureau Veritas's SONCAP data sheet says the exporter pays. Food and medicines are exempt from SONCAP.
How much does GEPA registration cost?
GEPA's export procedures page does not state a fee. Contact GEPA for the current amount.
Sources
- Ghana Export Promotion Authority, Export Procedures · accessed Oct 2026
- FDA Ghana, Guideline on Processing of Export Permit and Clearance of Prepackaged Foods (FDA/ECD/GDL-01/01, effective 30 Jun 2025) · accessed Oct 2026
- Bureau Veritas, Nigeria SONCAP data sheet Rev 8.4 (Oct 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
- Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SONCAP Approved Fees (Aug 2022) · accessed Oct 2026
- DHL Nigeria, How to calculate import duties in Nigeria (25 Jun 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.