GUTA warns foreign retailers in Western Region

The Western Regional branch of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has warned all foreigners operating in the region to regularise their businesses or close shop.

GUTA said though they wanted to co-exist peacefully and continue doing business with all foreigners they want foreign retailers to stay away from businesses specifically reserved for indigenes as spelt out in the Ghana Investment Promotion Company (GIPC) Law 2013, Act 865 Sections 27 and 28.

The Western Regional Chairman of GUTA, Mr Henry Bradford addressing a section of foreigners at the weekend advised them to comply with the law to avoid any confrontation.

Mr Bradford observed that some illicit trading was going on especially within the metropolis mostly by foreigners contrary to the GIPC Law which had spelt out the type of businesses to be carried out by foreigners resident in Ghana.

He told the meeting that all retail businesses were reserved for only Ghanaians and no foreigner was supposed to do any retail business.

The chairman advised the foreigners who have not registered their businesses to take steps to register or close their shops until the proper registration process was complete adding “GUTA in the Western Region has been lenient over the weeks but with this caution, GUTA members with the support of the security agencies will embark on an operation to flush out all the people who are doing illegal businesses in the region.”

He noted that though many of the foreigners doing businesses in Ghana were close neighbours of Ghana, the right thing must be done to allow sanity into the system.

The chairman of the Nigerian Community Association (NCA) in the region, Mr Charles Akpome appealed to GUTA to give them some time to answer the concerns raised by GUTA and that he would talk to his members to be law abiding.