Over 40 shops belonging to foreigners in the eastern region of Koforidua was on Monday, September 20, locked up by members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association.
The GUTA members held up placards, which claimed that it is against the law for foreigners to engage in retail trading. The placards read “Obey Act 865 section 27A now”, “Police must prevent illegal trading”, “Foreigners are prohibited from retailing our markets”, “We shall police our own market”.
Local news outlets reported that they embarked on a demonstration to express their displeasure with the “continuous involvement of foreigners in retail trade” in New Juaben South Municipality.
Darlen Nana Boateng, the Public Relations Officer of GUTA in the region told Citi News that their members will employ all legal means to prevent foreigners from engaging in retail trading in the region.
Boateng said “Right now, it has turned a bit chaotic, although that is not the plan we came out with. Our members shut down a shop but when the business owner came in, he opened the shop and insisted that he will work and whatever it takes, he will not comply with the directive. No one is here destroying anybody’s business, but people should not, on their own, take the law into their own hands and be resisting the laws of Ghana. The foreign retailers should just comply with the law.”
Other GUTA members who also spoke to Citi News about the activities of foreigners, expressed worry over the development and asked for immediate intervention.
This is not the first time shops belonging to foreigners, especially Nigerians have been locked up over the same issue.