adminThe country’s Inter-Agencies Taskforce closed the shops in line with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre laws, which aim to ensure Ghanaians are not pushed out of business by foreign nationals.
The taskforce closed shops in such areas as the Makola Market ,Circle-Tip-Toe Lane, Odawna market area, Kantamanto, Makola, Tema Station, Abossey Okai Spare Parts markets, Accra Post Office, Zongo-Lane, Adabraka market and Malata. Other places where foreign-owned shops were closed down include UTC Shoes market,
Fishing Net market, Agbogboshie, Timber market, Tudu area, Achimota market, Nima, Odorkor and Mallam market, Kasoa and Weija market, New Town market, Kotobabi and Pig Farm area and Teshie.
The Minister for Trade and Industry, Hannah Tetteh, said the monitoring exercise by the Inter-Agencies Task Force would ensure that non-Ghanaians fully complied with GIPC.
“The task force will move in the markets to shut down shops of non-Ghanaians who flout the laws of the land,” she said.
According to GIPC, non-Ghanaians must comply with the minimum investment requirement of US$300 000 to operate SMEs.
The closure of businesses went on despite strenuous efforts made by the visiting Economic Community of West African States Parliamentary delegation. It was in
Ghana to intervene on behalf of Ecowas nationals.
The president of the Nigerian Community in Ghana, Albert Bayor, joined hundreds of Nigerian businesses and called for a review of the law. Recently, Nigeria, West
Africa’s largest economy, threatened to sever diplomatic ties with Ghana over the closure of its nationals’ businesses.
Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, who said he was unaware of moves to sever diplomatic ties, said his country had not violated the rights of foreign businesses by implementing the GIPC Act. — CAJ News.
Online Reporter