After a 4-month grace period ended, the Ghanaian government have begun to expel illegal foreign traders from their stores despite a request from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) parliament
Yesterday, the Ghanaian minister for Trade Hannah Tetteh was interviewed by the BBC, where she explained in detail that the excercise was merely to expel those who were not in compliance with the Ghana Investment Promotion law, which requires foreign traders in the country to invest an intial capital of $300,000 (approximately N49 million) and may require at least 10 Ghanaians to be employed by the fir
She said the law, which allowed the removal of the foreign retail traders from markets, was in conformity with the ECOWAS Protocol.
A task force of under the Ministry of Trade and Industry started going round the markets in Accra on Tuesday to close down shops of foreigners engaged in the illegal retail trade business.
The Inter Agency Task Force is made up of officials from the Registrar-General’s Department, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, the Ghana Revenue Authority, Police, Immigration Service, the Ministries of Trade and Industry, and Foreign Affairs.
The Nigerian business community, especially, is demanding a review of the action while the Vice President of a policy think-tank, IMANI Ghana, Mr. Kofi Bentil, has cautioned against “protectionism”.
Mr Bentil said if the law allowing Ghana to take the action was bad, the implementation was even worse, fearing other countries might retaliate and Ghanaians living in those countries will be the losers.
NIGERIANS SHOULD HAVE A NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND TO DETERMINE WHERE WE ARE HEADING TO AS IT SEEMS LIKE WE ARE IN A MISSION TO NOWHERE
NIGERIANS ARE SCATTERD ALL OVER AFRICA NOT AS BIG TIME RETAIL INVESTORS WITH A CAPITAL OF 300000 DOLLARS. WE ONLY GOING TO WAIT AND SEE THE NEXT NATION TO ADOPT THIS SENSELESS ACTION . FUNNY. MY OPPINION IS SIMPLE. LET ALL AFRICANS STAY ON THIER OWN . LET JUST VISIT EUROPE , DISSOLVE AFRICAN UNION , MAYBE IN 200YEARS TO COME OUR CHILDREN WILL RECONVENE. MY GOD WE CAN TREAT OURSELVES LIKE A TRASH. OUR FORE FATHERS MUST BE TURNING ON THEIR GRAVE AS AFRICANS BECAME ALIENS REFUGEE IN THEIR AFRICA. WHO CAN TEACH NIGERIA LEADERS THAT NAKED YOU COME NAKED SHALL YOU GO. EVERYTHING YOU STOLE SHALL BE LEFT BEHIND. WHERE ARE THE ROAD, WHERE IS ELECTRICITY POWER , NO STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT NIGERIANS TO DO BUSINESS IN NIGERIA, WHERE IS THE ELETRICITY
GHANA DEPORTED NIGERIANS IN THE 1960S WHEN THEY ARE GOLD RICH AND IN 80S NIGERIA RETALIATED . BUT NIGERIA WASTED ALL THEIR RICHES IN ETHINIC FIGHTING AND MUSLIM RELIGIOUS FANATISM AND MILITARY COUP SELF DISTRUCTION WITHOUT THINKING TWICE. TODAY GHANA HAS ELECTRICITY POWER TO SUPPORT INDUSTRY AND NIGERIA HAS MANAGE TO DEVELOPE BOKO HARAM A NICE EXPORT THAT NEARLY REACH USA. SHAME ON US NIGERIA, THAT TODAY GHANA CAN EVEN TAKE A DICISSION THAT CAN AFFECT US, WHY MUST RETAIL BE ALLOWED FOR RICH COUNTRIES AND SUCH AN ANTI AFRICAN LEGISLATURE BE ALLOWED. WELL SOME ONE HAS TO ADVICE THE GHANAIAN GOVERNMENT THAT THEIR CITIZENS SCARTERED ALL OVER THE WORLD ARE NOT ALL LEGAL. AND IT IS TIME NIGERIA SHOULD WAKE UP . IT IS NOT ONLY PRAYERS, AFTER ALL WE KNOW THAT NO WORK NO FOOD. AND OUR BROTHERS UP NORTH SHOULD PLEASE PUT ASIDE THIS RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM FOR NIGERIA TO MOVE FORWARD . WE ARE NOW A LAUGHING-STOCK IN AFRICA, WE CAN BE KICKED ARROUND BECAUSE WE ARE IN DISARRAY. SAVE NIGERIA. SAVE NIGERIA
This is nothing but a senseless colonial and colonialism mentality, how many black Africans has 300000 dollars to invest in a retail trading. we just have to wait and see where all these are going. retail is retail, multinational or individuals . which means that it is only some supermarket chains from the rich country who can easly afford this money will be allowed to do trading in Africa while their poor brothers are blocked by stupid legislatures. Ghana deported a lot of foriegners in the 60s when they discovered Gold and took their properties and now they have discovered oil and they want to repeat it again, they said history always repeat it self.LETS SEE HOW THIS ONE PLAYS OUT
Looking forward to the 'NIGERIA MUST GO' bag. N49 million initial capital investment-who are they kidding? It's high time our Government began to take concrete steps in developing sustainable infrastructures that support commerce. Then our people can remain at home and contribute to our economy.
Looking forward to the 'NIGERIA MUST GO' bag. N49 million initial capital investment-who are they kidding? It's high time our Government began to take concrete steps in developing sustainable infrastructures that support commerce. Then our people can remain at home and contribute to our economy.
Freedom of trade?? Imagine this people that were selling puff puff and kenke before.
Nice comment!Hard truth.First it was 'Ghana must Go' . This is to me a version of 'Nigeria Must Go'
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