Border Closure: Ghana Traders Shuts Down Shops Owned By Nigerians In Major Markets

Angry members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) have shut down shops owned by Nigerians in major markets in Kumasi, the Ashanti Region capital.

We gathered that demonstration which happened on Thursday, October 31, 2019, is as a result of the closure of the Nigerian border to West African countries which includes Ghana.

This is the second time this year GUTA members would shut Nigerian-owned shops, claiming it was waging a war on foreigners doing retail business in the country.

The association cite Ghanaian laws to justify their action, insisting that they have been left with no choice than to move into the markets and lock the shops up themselves because the law enforcement agencies fail to do their work.

GUTA says foreign retailers flout section 27 of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act 865.

That law stipulates that the sale of goods or provision of services in a market, petty trading or hawking or selling of goods in a stall at any place must be reserved for Ghanaians.

The law also bans foreigners from operating taxis, beauty salons, selling medicine, production and sale of sachet water, among others.

The markets where Nigerian traders were shut out were in Kejetia, Suame Magazine, Adum and Asafo.

GUTA recently noted that the closure of Nigeria’s trade borders to Benin and other neighbouring countries is an outright breach of ECOWAS treaties.

The President of the Association, Dr Joseph Obeng who spoke to Accra-based Joy FM noted that the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the ECOWAS parliament has failed to check Nigeria.

He argued that this is enough evidence that all treaties and protocols under ECOWAS being ineffective.

“Nigeria has blatantly flouted ECOWAS protocol if there is even something like that. Surprisingly, the foreign affairs ministry has failed to deal with this issue, nobody is talking to this issue and for two months Ghanaian goods have been locked up in Nigeria. This act by the Nigerian government nullifies the entire ECOWAS Treaty on the free movement of people and goods,” he said.