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.


Source:

http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13399:ghanaian-authorities-shut-nigerian-shops-make-arrests&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18

This must be payback for Ghana must-go days in Nigeria.

300,000 dollars is a euphemism for 'Nigerians must go'.Can't the Nigerian govt put these kids in their place?With all our inadequacies Ghana still does not come close.We need to take a tougher stance on this & sundry issues

^^^
Now that's just insane.
No foreign investment. I forsee nationalities like the Chinese moving out enmasse.
The buggers are just shooting themselves in the foot.