Ghana Traders Lock Nigerian Owned Shops

The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) on Thursday in anger locked up shops owned by foreigners, mainly Nigerians in Kumasi, Ghana.

This is the second time such action is taken by the association against Nigerian retailers in their country.

GUTA justifies its action was based on the violation of the Ghanaian law. The foreign retailers according to their claim violated section 27 of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act 865.

The law as reported by Ghana’s Hypercity 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 association also listed other activities foreigners are not permitted to undertake to include:

Other activities not permitted for non-citizens include:

Operation of taxi or car hire service in an enterprise that has a fleet of less than twenty-five vehicles

Operation of a beauty salon or a barbershop

Printing of recharge scratch cards for the use of subscribers of telecommunication services

Production of exercise books and other basic stationery

Retail of finished pharmaceutical products

Production and retail of sachet water.

There are speculations that the move must have been as a result of the Nigerian government to close its land borders with neighbouring countries.

There are other opinions it is a result of the fear that foreigners might overtake their business.

Here are some comments we gathered from Ghanaians reacting to the event [all comments are unedited]:

“Kumasi Guta fight for your rights. NPP government is slow of helping Kumasi. We support you. Do not allow Nigerians to take over Ashanti region and your jobs. They must go back to Nigeria. We do not need Nigerians in Ghana.”

“Do what will set u free from yr contry nigerials should go back to there hometown because something is going wrong through nigerials to ghana we don’t need them at all”.