BY LEKE BAIYEWU

Nigeria has decided to suspend its diplomatic tussle with Ghana over the alleged deportation of Nigerian businessmen from the country following the intervention of the Economic Community of West African States. The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Mrs. Abike Dabiri- Erewa confirmed this to SUNDAY PUNCH.

Ghana had slammed foreign businessmen, mostly Nigerians, with a $300,000 (N46m) business establishment fee and allegedly sent those who could not pay packing. Dabiri-Erewa however, told our correspondent in an interview, that ECOWAS had called for a negotiation between the countries.

She said, “Ghana has rescinded the decision and the negotiations would last for four months. We hope we will reach a mutual understanding within the period.” A text message notifying her of the suspension was forwarded to our correspondent. It read, “The task force, charged with the responsibility to close shops, is made up of the officials of Ghana’s Registrar-General’s Department, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Ghana Revenue Authority, Immigration, Ghana Police Service, Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Representatives of these agencies, as well as journalists had gathered at the Ministry of Trade in Accra on Monday, June 25, 2012 for the closure exercise. Suddenly, the Director of Communication, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr. Nana Akrasi Sarpong, emerged and announced that the exercise had been called off for now.

“While this was going on, the Vice-President, Ghana Union of Traders Association, Mr. Daniel Aggrey, angrily dashed in to oppose the suspension of the exercise. We believe the call-off is temporary.”

Dabiri-Erewa had recently led a delegation to the Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the ECOWAS parliament, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu to register a complaint over Ghana’s policy. According to her, the Ghanaian Parliament’s law which states that
Nigerians must have the $300,000 before they can run a business in Ghana is unfair.

She said, “Most of these Nigerian traders in Ghana, deal in small goods like CDs, videos, cassettes. For anyone to ask them to bring $300,000 before they can set up a petty business is a bit hypocritical.

“Even if the traders come together, I don’t think they will get N46m to do business there. Ghana should not take us back to 28 years ago when we had issues in West Africa.”

The Ghana Investment Promotion Council had first introduced the fee on November 28, 2007. The council was alleged to have sealed-up hundreds of shops that were not able to pay the fee for more than 20 months.

It would be recalled that South Africa and Nigeria had been embroiled in a diplomatic feud in March, 2012, after authorities at the Oliver Thambo Airport, Johannesburg deported 125 Nigerians, alleging that their yellow fever vaccination cards were not genuine. Nigeria had, in return, deported 84 South Africans within two days.

Ngwakwe: ECOWAS was just for Ghana and Co. to have access to Nigerian markets and not for Nigerians to benefit from them.

damola1:

How many ghanian business men have you seen in 9ja... Nigerians are quite dominating set of people...

Ngwakwe: ECOWAS was just for Ghana and Co. to have access to Nigerian markets and not for Nigerians to benefit from them.

McCoy91: A $300,000 registration fee is simply hilarious. Nowhere is it done in the world. Nowhere. Most of those businesses will never be worth that amount and you ask them to pay that to begin with?

royal lord: Honestly, i realy like what d ghanians are doin, its time nigeria get her fat as s of the ground and work. If nigeria is as a corrupt nation, no true nation willin to develop wil allow us to invade their country even nw dey hav oil, it time we learnt from dis actions by other nation and change. The law is simple if u are comin to ghana 4 buisnes come prepared to develop the country and nt endanger its economy by takin cash out of it

Umunede: I don't see how ghana will backed down on this at all, no matter the negotiation
. Petty petty biz which the ghanaians are suppose to be doing themselves are being ran by nigerians. This foreign ownership of biz in ghana is putting too much pressure on their currency.

virgo:


So that justifies imposing such huge fees on small businesses?

royal lord:

if ur economy is good why wil u leave ur country to another country, smal and medium enterprises ar economy growers, if dis vital part is controld by nigerian who take d money out of ghana instead of reinvesting it for d growth of d ghana economy and provision of enployment .if u were ghanian how wil u feel

McCoy91: A $300,000 registration fee is simply hilarious. Nowhere is it done in the world. Nowhere. Most of those businesses will never be worth that amount and you ask them to pay that to begin with?

McCoy91: A $300,000 registration fee is simply hilarious. Nowhere is it done in the world. Nowhere. Most of those businesses will never be worth that amount and you ask them to pay that to begin with?

Ironi:

That is the whole idea.
Ghana wants to discourage those petty traders. They are not wanted in Ghana.

royal lord:

if ur economy is good why wil u leave ur country to another country, smal and medium enterprises ar economy growers, if dis vital part is controld by nigerian who take d money out of ghana instead of reinvesting it for d growth of d ghana economy and provision of enployment .if u were ghanian how wil u feel

McCoy91: A $300,000 registration fee is simply hilarious. Nowhere is it done in the world. Nowhere. Most of those businesses will never be worth that amount and you ask them to pay that to begin with?

royal lord:

if ur economy is good why wil u leave ur country to another country, smal and medium enterprises ar economy growers, if dis vital part is controld by nigerian who take d money out of ghana instead of reinvesting it for d growth of d ghana economy and provision of enployment .if u were ghanian how wil u feel

fm7070: Hon. Dabiri is the kind of person we need in the parliament. She's been up to the task.
Foreign countries will begin to respect Nigerians like they will respect American.
Though we are not there yet, but with this kind of proactive steps of Hon. Abike, we will get there.

Ghana government just wanted to take Nigerians for granted. Forgeting that if Nigerians should leave Ghana, their economy will crash down.

ebamma: i dont blame the ghanaians,because the are just paying us back in our own coin,abi no be we first deport their people in the name of ghana must go?

virgo:

Wrong. Nigerians were first deported from Ghana in the late sixties during the height of the civil war before we reciprocated in kind years later. #KnowYourHistory

PetroDolla: oya, what are you waiting for? Leave and let's see whether the Ghanaian economy will collapse. deluded morons! If Ghanaians don't want una is it by force? Go back to your 'peaceful and prosperous' nigeria where everything works.