Akufo Addo Orders Closure of Foreign Shops Operating Illegally

President Akufo Addo has through the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) formed a Presidential task-force to close down shops of foreigners operating illegally in various markets across the country.

This exercise is expected to come off on Monday, August 10, 2020 after tensions at the Abossey Okai market in Accra when Ghanaian traders locked up Nigerian shops.

According to the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), their Nigerian counterparts sell substandard products at cheaper prices. Furthermore, Ghana’s laws forbid foreigners from engaging in retail trade which the Nigerians have taken over while authorities watch on.

Speaking on Angel FM on Thursday, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Prince Boakye Boateng disclosed the President has given a task-force the go ahead to clamp down on illegal activities by some foreigners in markets across the country.

“I’m assuring GUTA and I’m serving notice to the foreign retail traders in our markets that on the 10th of August, we are coming to the market to ensure that they are conforming to all the legal requirements for their operations or they be shut down immediately; it would not be the GUTA that would be coming after them, but the Presidential Task-force which has the orders of the President himself; so they have from today to August 10 to rectify their documents”, Prince Boakye cautioned.

He added, “If an ECOWAS country closed it borders and got our nationals and their goods stranded in the name of upholding their sovereign laws, why can’t we also do same; or they are saying that they are wiser than us; we will also uphold our sovereign laws, so from August 10 any foreigner who would be found wanting shall not be treated kindly at all”, he added.

Source: GhanaFeed.com