In a dramatic turn of events on Monday, chaos erupted in the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly in Koforidua as foreign traders, predominantly Nigerians, forcefully entered the premises to protest the seizure of their items by members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA).
The turmoil began when GUTA members, continuing their campaign to shut down illegal shops and businesses run by foreigners in retail activities, confiscated mobile phone accessories and bags belonging to foreign traders on the streets.
This action triggered clashes as some of the affected foreigners resisted the exercise.
Following the operation, GUTA members converged at the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly, only to be confronted by a surprising retaliation.
Dozens of Nigerians mobilized and stormed the assembly premises, leading to a free-for-all fight that created chaos and briefly disrupted administrative activities.
The intervention of Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Michael Okyere Baafi, who also serves as the Deputy Minister for Trades and Industry, played a crucial role in calming tempers and restoring order during the skirmish.
The Nigerians regrouped in front of the main gate of the Assembly, demanding justice for what they claimed was the manhandling of some of their compatriots.
This incident comes on the heels of the Eastern Regional branch of GUTA closing down 38 shops of foreigners engaged in retail businesses two weeks ago, citing Ghanaian laws reserving such activities for locals.
GUTA argues that foreign traders pose a threat to Ghanaian businesses, citing unfair competition in retail trade and the alleged sale of cheap and inferior products.
Eastern Regional Vice Chairman of GUTA, Samuel Aikens cautioned that the clamp down will continue until the market is sanitized.
Deputy Minister Michael Okyere Baafi expressed support for the peaceful closure of foreign retail shops, emphasizing the need to uphold domestic laws, including the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act.
He said despite regional and continental efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) to promote intercontinental free trade, Baafi stressed the importance of respecting domestic laws to protect local businesses.
As tensions continue to escalate, the clash between GUTA and foreign traders raises broader questions about the balance between national economic interests and the principles of free trade in the evolving landscape of global commerce.
As a result, a 2021 joint communique signed between Ghana and Nigeria during the Extraordinary ECOWAS Summit seek to address this problem.
The agreement highlighted a reconsideration of the 1-million-dollar minimum requirement from foreigners for trading enterprises under section 28(2) of the Act.
The exemption was aimed at resolving a 25-year retail dispute between Ghana and Nigeria, and it was officially presented by Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to Nigeria’s House of Representatives following the summit.
Speaker Alban Bagbin expressed that this intervention marked the conclusion of the retail impasse between the two nations.
The adjustment was intended to facilitate the regularization of the businesses run by affected Nigerian retail traders who had been previously excluded from the market.
Furthermore, a special concession was introduced, reducing the stamp duty requirement to 0.5, with the promise that it would not apply to Nigerian traders.
In response to this new arrangement, GUTA strongly voiced its opposition and threatened to resist any amendments to the regulations.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
