The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), has now agreed to re-open the shops belonging to Nigerian traders. This follows a meeting between the leaders of the association and the police command.
GUTA locked up nearly 600 shops belonging to Nigerians. The reason behind the lock ups is foreigners breaching the GIPC Law Section 27 of ACT 865 which defines the boundaries of retail trade in Ghana. GUTA has labelled the Nigerians’ retail business as a ‘killer’ to the local retail businesses by making the local sellers uncompetitive.
THE FEUD
This feud has been ongoing since 2017. GUTA’s frustration has been the fact that both past and present governments have not shown the will to deal with the situation. The leadership of the association would also open the shops based on an earlier meeting with the President Nana Akuffo-Addo who advised them to allow rule of law to have its place in the matter. GUTA further states that their decision to re-open Nigerian shops is out of the respect for the President.
GUTA’s FUTURE EXPECTATION
The association have agreed to re-open the shops based more on the appeal from the President. As they have indicated in the course of their unrests, they expect both the Trade Ministry and the Government to actively move in to resolve this issue once and for all.
Some section of the Nigerians claim that they are covered under the ECOWAS Protocol to engage in business in Ghana. However, there are allegations that the Nigerian version of the traders union, NUTAG have appealed to the Ghanaian authorities to reconsider the sections under the ACT 865 which restrains foreigners from engaging in retail.
For GUTA not to strike again, they would want to see prompt action from Ghanaian authorities. GUTA would however would not be satisfied with any outcome that falls short of offering tangible advantages to the Ghanaian trader.
