soloqy:

From movie actors and producers to big corporations like GLO and our Banks, now they have extended to petty traders and small business owners.

I think we should hit back HARD.

soloqy:

Anything happening to any citizen anywhere , should be of utmost concern to our government. They cant just sit idly and watch this happen. I can understand if its some drug peddlers somewhere in hilsbrow SA who are being rightfully arrested but when its verified that they are innocent Nigerians legally trying to make a living, our government must be responsive to this.

Please who amongst us knows how to right petitions so that it can be posted on President Goodluck's page on Facebook? I dont have the temperament for it and somewhere in the middle of the whole thing, I may go off telling him and everyone off.

bibiking1:

shame! shame!! shame!!!
So much for Big Brother!

• Insist on payment of $300,000

John Attah, president, Ghana

The Ghanaian authorities yesterday continued their hatred for Nigerians and their businesses by closing their shops and arresting some of them. In the past two years, businesses owned by Nigerians in Ghana have been shut severally, while the owners were arrested and received verbal threats of attack.

Beside petty traders, big time businesses owned by Nigerians, including GSM operator Globacom Limited, have been harassed by government agents. In particular, Globacom was denied the opportunity of erecting its masts in major cities of Ghana earlier in the year. Yesterday, some shops belonging to Nigerian traders based in Ghana, as was done in April and May this year, were closed down by a special task force set up to monitor Nigerians’ compliance with the Ghana Investment Promotion Council’s (GIPC’s) investment law.

This development contradicts the assurances given by Ghana’s minister of trade and industry, Hanna S. Tetteh that Nigerian businesses were not under any threats. “Now as far as businesses between Ghana and Nigeria are concerned, again from our point of view, we do not have a problem. The issue has been a misrepresentation of the legal position as it stands with regards to business. Our position is that petty trading – and by this I mean trading done in a kiosk, trading done in a market, is something which, by Ghanaian law, is reserved for Ghanaians”. The mid-day raid on the shops took place simultaneously in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale, and hundreds of Nigerians were also arrested.

Speaking to BusinessDay on telephone yesterday, Jasper Emenike, President of the Nigerian Traders’ Association in Ghana, confirmed the raid as well as the arrests. “As I speak to you now (2.45 p.m. Ghana time), shops of our members are being locked up simultaneously in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, and Tamale,” Jasper told BusinessDay.

“Even some of our members have been arrested and taken away by the task force for undisclosed reasons. They refused to tell us why they were taking them away,” Jasper further said. He could not, however, tell the number of persons arrested because of the commotion stirred up by the raid which has been on-going since 2007. Apparently, this recent raid is a continuation by a special task force set up by the government to ensure that the new GIPC investment law which stipulates $300,000 is complied with.

George Aboagye, chief executive officer of the GIPC has, on several occasions, said that according to GIPC Act, petty trading, hawking or selling from kiosks at any place is wholly reserved for Ghanaians but that the law does not bar non-Ghanaians from operating in the trading sector whether wholesaling or retailing “provided they make the initial equity capital investment in cash or goods of at least $300,000.” Emenike had confirmed that some of his colleagues had come together to put up the money, but are waiting to see how the on-going discussions between the Nigerian and Ghanaian government would turn out before reaching a decision on which path to tow, because the stipulated $300,000 is quite on the high side for a petty trader to afford.

Talks have been on-going between the two governments for more than a year but no solution has been arrived at and traders are no longer happy with the indefinite nature of the talks. Efforts made to confirm the whereabouts of the arrested Nigerian traders produced no result as at the time of going to press. Head of public affairs, Ghana Immigration Service, Pam Deti, with whom BusinessDay spoke on phone, said that they were not aware of any such raid and if any arrests was made.

“We are not aware of any such raid taking place nor have I been informed of any arrests. The thing is that the task force acts independently and does not have to inform us of their actions. Since the police are involved, perhaps you could find out from them whether there have been any arrests,” Deti had advised.

The police public relations department could not be reached. The task force formed to ensure the compliance of foreigners with the GIPC Investment Law is composed of members of the GIPC, Ghana Immigration Service, Customs and Excise Preventive Service, the Police Service and members of Ghana Union of Traders Associations. They carry out periodic raids in markets across the country.

princekevo:

Nigeria is the most useless and foolish Country i have seen on earth.
There is a war in Liberia, our silly government will be fast enough to send 20,000 soldiers to die there, in Ivory Coast, oh!!! jst the next day Nigerian troops has already arrived, Coup in Togo Nigeria will be first to send mediators under ECOWAS , War in Sudan we will be the first to send troops under UN.
Crime against Innocent Nigerian in Liberia, our government is no where to be find, killing of Innocent Nigerians in South Africa, our government keeps silent over it. Injustice against Nigerians within our Ecowas Neighbouring country as Ghana of all people. Nigeria suddenly became less Influential that Ecowas has kept quite over it. What is it called? FOOLISHNESS.

princekevo:

Nigeria is the most useless and foolish Country i have seen on earth.
There is a war in Liberia, our silly government will be fast enough to send 20,000 soldiers to die there, in Ivory Coast, oh!!! jst the next day Nigerian troops has already arrived, Coup in Togo Nigeria will be first to send mediators under ECOWAS , War in Sudan we will be the first to send troops under UN.
Crime against Innocent Nigerian in Liberia, our government is no where to be find, killing of Innocent Nigerians in South Africa, our government keeps silent over it. Injustice against Nigerians within our Ecowas Neighbouring country as Ghana of all people. Nigeria suddenly became less Influential that Ecowas has kept quite over it. What is it called? FOOLISHNESS.

hackney:

Does nigeria even have an equivalent of Ghana Investment Promotion Council?

What the bloated politicians are concerned about is re-election.
In my opinion,functionally speaking we dont have a government because other than dodgy contracts and
senators squabbling for pay rise they are of no other use to anybody.

Ghana can eject everything Nigeria in ghana and nothing will happen.
All the signs that indicate a bloody revolution as solution are all clear for everybody to see.

Why cant Nigeria slaughter all the old politicians like rawlings did for Ghana? ? ?
Every term they rear their viper heads and nigeria is still there like a mal-nourished dustbin feeder taking rubbish.
shame on Nigeria.
All we know is how to infest other countries like rats because funds to lift the country have been stolen.

Africason:

Very sad indeed, but why is this story being made to be like the Ghanaian authorities are victimisingd the Nigerians? Look, that law was inacted to sometime ago to check all foreign entities and not Nigerians alone!

Its for any biz foreign including that of Liberians, Togolese, Nigerians, Indians and all all things foreign. . . Please lets stop this bull crap as if they are targeting Nigerians businesses alone. . .

princekevo:

My Fren go read the terms and agreement of ECOWAS which Ghana was signatory to and a member, before you come here to spew rubbish. Almost all the country in the world needs visa to Nigeria except ECOWAS member states. How would ECOWAS member nations feel when they grant us free visas to their country and we rule them together under the same visa requirement with EU, American, and Asian nationals?
Ghana nationals are enjoying the free trade agreement in other ECOWAS Member nations, then in return ruling the same member nations together with other foreigner nationals in their new trade policy. Does that make any sense to you? If Ghana is ruling us together with other foreign nationals they should withdraw their membership from Ecowas lets see how they can survive alone within the ECOWAS region.

princekevo:

Nigeria is the most useless and foolish Country i have seen on earth.
There is a war in Liberia, our silly government will be fast enough to send 20,000 soldiers to die there, in Ivory Coast, oh!!! jst the next day Nigerian troops has already arrived, Coup in Togo Nigeria will be first to send mediators under ECOWAS , War in Sudan we will be the first to send troops under UN.
Crime against Innocent Nigerian in Liberia, our government is no where to be find, killing of Innocent Nigerians in South Africa, our government keeps silent over it. Injustice against Nigerians within our Ecowas Neighbouring country as Ghana of all people. Nigeria suddenly became less Influential that Ecowas has kept quite over it. What is it called? FOOLISHNESS.

Africason:

Dude, get off your high horses and reason clearly! Do you think the Ghanaians give a hoot about the ECOWAS treaty? In anyway, this is called protectionism if you don't know. . . They are doing it to every other national regardless of you being an ECOWAS member state or not. I believe they are asking for any individual or group of individuals wanting to do business in Ghana to have like $300,000 capital to qualify.

Folks can pull their resources together and reach that sum quite easily. . .

I believe they are asking for any individual or group of individuals wanting to do business in Ghana to have like $300,000 capital to qualify.

londoner:

@Africason, you say this applies to all foreign owned business including Togo, Liberian etc. Oh really? Please provide me with the links to the stories of the same described above happening to all those foreigners in Ghana, or alternatively where they have all since paid $300,000. You know as well as I do that the law is being used to target Nigerians.

Just like in the Uk, police have stop and search laws which "technically" apply to all, but in PRACTICE they are used to discriminate against young Black boys. I do think even so, they have a right to enforce their law, and that Nigerians should divest their money from Ghana as soon as possible.

princekevo:

For you to say Ghana give no hoot abt the Ecowas Treaty is like rulling out the benefits of regional organisations as ECOWAS which is obtained in every part of the world. If Ghana can not respect that agreement, they should be sanctioned from ECOWAS. When that happens, Ghana will then know 'no man is Island'.


Was such requirement supposed to include ECOWAS members? I asked you a question which you failed to answer. What happens to the free visas giving to Ghana by all Ecowas memeber states, what happens to Ghanians having shops, in Togo, cotouno, Nigeria etc without restriction? Will they also be required to produce $300,000 before registering such business, or do you think these countries has no minimum requirements for other nationals other ecowas member?
You mean to tell me that a Togolese or Nigerian who want to open a small shop for selling bags must produce $300,000 before such business can be registered, while Ghanaian can do same in other ECOWAS nation without any restriction. Who is fulling who?
Jst that we have a useless governement that does not care for its citizens. if not Nigeria should influnce the sanction of Ghana from ECOWAS, lets see how that goes with them.