The Ashanti regional branch of the Ghana Union of Traders Association, (GUTA) has asked the country’s president Akufo Addo to reject calls by some Nigerian traders to reopen their closed shops in Ghana.
Over the past years there have been disagreements between Ghanaian traders and their counterparts from other countries, especially Nigerians.
The local traders argued that based on Ghana’s law foreigners have no right to engage in retail trade as their activities negatively affects them.
The government, however, set up a presidential committee to properly sanitize all foreigners engaging in trading activities. Several shops belonging to foreigners were closed, modern Ghana reported.
Recently, former President of ‘All Nigerian Community’ in Ashanti region, Chief Nkem Tony Onyeagolu, called on president Akufo Addo, in a statement to give an order to unlock all shops belonging to foreigners.
Reacting to this at a news conference, an official from Ashanti Regional Chapter of GUTA, Anthony Oppong, said its members want President Akufo Addo to reject the call by the foreign traders outrightly as it lacked merit.
“The call for the President to review the exercise is an insult to the president and the people. It looks as if the President didn’t think and just woke up one day, and just gave instructions to the people to go and lock their shops.”We are a sovereign country. We have rules and regulations, that guide our trade policies and that’s the way we want to go even though we are associated with so many international bodies. Our laws, the constitution of this country, takes precedence over all these laws and treaties they’ve signed to. So, they can’t dictate to us, what Ghana must do with our laws,” Anthony Oppong said.
Ijeoma Njoku reporting, Obinwannem News