Ghanaian President Akuffo-Addo Bans Nigerians From Retail Trading

President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo has backed the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA)’s ban on retail trading by Nigerians and other foreigners in the country.

According to the President, while speaking on the GIPC Act on retailing in Ghana, Nigerians cannot complain about how laws are enforced in the country.

While the President admits that measures must be put in place to ensure strict enforcement of the Act, he maintains, GUTA cannot also take the law into its hands.

“Nigerians cannot complain about our enforcement of our laws, they are doing it in their own country. So they cannot complain, there is nothing discriminatory about it. The Chinese, the Nigerians all of them should be put in the same pot in terms of the application of the law.

“What I am thinking and hoping is that members of GUTA would not take things into their own hand and that is why I intervened. GUTA cannot take the law into their own hands and by that be closing shops and all that, there is no future in that.”

“This is a very delicate and difficult issue but I think some things are obvious. GUTA are right in their interpretation of the law. The laws of our country until they are changed, have banned foreigners from engaging in retail trading in our country as well as activities in our market. Those are reserved mainly for Ghanaians.

“So if people who are known not to be Ghanaians get involved, people are expected to get agitated about it. What we need to do with this agitation is to be more rigid in enforcing the law and I am hoping the measures put in place with the support of GUTA have begun to work now. If people take the law into their own hands before you know, we have anarchy. So I am hoping they have taken that into account and at the same time I think it is up to us the state to make sure our laws are properly applied.”