The Presidential Committee on Retail Trade under the Ministry of Trade and Industry is to begin the closure of foreign-owned shops at Circle in Accra from today, August 13, 2020.
According to the committee, a notice had been served to foreigners engaged in retail trade without business operating documents.
Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Prince Boakye-Boateng said some foreigners had failed to adhere to some directives given to them by the retail trade in Ghana which has made embark on this exercise at the circle, he said on Citi news
“For Circle, we will be locking of shops because they have been given enough notice already. The shops were initially locked; we asked that they open for a proper assessment by the Ministry and for that matter, the Committee. So, enough notice has been given already so as we get to Circle, it is about the locking up of shops and not about assessment as done at Abossey Okai.”
Mr. Boakye Boateng then appealed to the foreigners to comply to help maintain peace while they carry out their duty.
“I am appealing to other people who are in other areas we will be going to; I am referring to those at Opera Square, Zongo lane, Kantamanto, UTC, and Kumasi that they should start preparing and get their things in place.”
There has been some disagreement between Ghanaian traders and some foreign traders especially the Nigerians over their involvement in retail business in the market, which had led to the closure of some shops in Kumasi and Accra belonging to foreign traders.
The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) had said it was all due to the lacked enforcement of laws against the illegal activities of foreigners and the country is to be blamed for being weak
The government has indicated that they are trying not to break the relationship between the two countries which GUTA feels that the government is not trying hard to serve the interest of Ghanaians.
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Pechi-Anim Alnice Padikie
