Following the outcry of locked-up stores of Nigerians at Tip Toe Lane at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra and the nationwide inspection that commenced on Monday, August 10, 2020, the Ministry of Trade says that they gave them more than enough time to submit their documents for regulation.
The shops were closed in December 2019 by the Ghana Union Traders Association (GUTA) due to a breach of the retail trade law by some Nigerians. It was however reopened on the President’s directive.
The GIPC law “under Act 865, there are specific provisions which relate to how persons who are not citizens can engage in trading, including retail trade. There are also provisions which provide for sanctions against enterprises that breach the provisions of Act 865.
Section 27(1) of Act 865 generally lays out activities that foreign investors are not permitted to invest or participate in. This list is not exclusive. Other laws have provisions on activities reserved for Ghanaians. These activities include 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”.
The Trade Ministry intervened with The Committee on Foreigners in Retail Trade that was tasked to oversee compliance of the GIPC law by foreigners in retail trade.
On Thursday, August 13, 2020, however, the committee again locked up over 100 stores because the foreigners had refused to provide the legal documents that backed their trading activities.
Speaking to Starr FM today, Head of Communications, Ministry of Trade Prince Boakye Boateng, insists, however, that they gave the traders more than enough time to have over documents.
“We have given them an opportunity to regularize the document and submit it to us for verification, that has not been done.
Now, this exercise started at Abossey-Okai on Monday. Because we have never been to Abossey-Okai for this exercise, when we went there we did not just start locking shops. We went there, we inspected the shops and we gave them notices that in 14-days they should ensure that all their necessary documentation to be complete.”
“These people at circle have been served notices for over a year now”, he added.
Follow Us
I am passionate about pushing accountability and transparency through my writing.
