Retail shops belonging to foreigners at Accra Central remain closed

Retail shops belonging to foreigners, who deal in electrical gadgets in the Accra Central Business District, remain closed, four days after the facilities were shut under lock and key.

The closure of the shops were closed by members the Ghana Electrical Dealers Association (GEDA), affiliated to the Ghana Union Traders Association (GUTA).

This stems from government’s failure to fully enforce the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre’s Act (Act 865), which bars foreigners from operating in the country’s retail sector.

When the Ghanaian Times visited the area yesterday, the shops, belonging to the foreigners were still closed.

The Secretary of the Greater Accra Region GUTA, Nana Opoku, in a telephone interview with the Ghanaian Times, in Accra yesterday, said the association would not open the shops till government address the issue.

He said the foreigners were practicing unfair trade for so long, which should not be entertained in the country.

Nana Opoku said retail trading by foreigners affect the local business, which needed to be protected.

Mr Opoku said a delegation of GUTA visited Nigerian recently, and investigation revealed that shops there were owned by the indigenes.

He said GUTA was acting in accordance with the Ghanaian laws to protect its economy, adding that “as a country, we should protect the laws of the land and the economy.’’

Mr Opoku said the leadership of the association would ensure no foreigner is hurt during the period of the closure.

He stressed that the association would ensure the shops were not opened for the foreigners to do retail business in the country.

The Ghanaian Times reported in its Tuesday, November 5, 2019, issue, that GUTA carried out its threat to close down all retail shops belonging to foreigners in Accra Central.

As early as 7:00am, members of GUTA stormed the Central Business District in Accra and shut retail shops belonging to foreigners, who dealt in electrical gadgets.

About 50 shops were closed and occupants were seated idle in front of the facilities while others had obviously left for their homes.

Special locks with the inscription “GUTA” were seen affixed to the foreign-owned shops, which signalled that until the association reversed its decision, owners would not have access to their shops.