Women traders warn government

Angry female traders who transport goods from Lome, Togo to Accra and other regional capitals in the country to sell, have spoken angrily against the treatment meted out to them by some members of the Presidential Task Force and National Security which operate on the Accra-Lome route.

According to the traders, who spoke to this paper after a press conference on Thursday in Accra, the operations of the Presidential Task Force and the National Security were adversely affecting their businesses because about 20 trucks loaded with goods had been intercepted by the Task Force even though all duties on them had been paid.

Dinah Nyarkopa-Daniels, President of the National Women of Passion for Traders, said the situation is worrisome and added that if government does not do anything to salvage their businesses before Wednesday they would embark on a public demonstration after one week.

“We are made to pay bribes at all the numerous customs checkpoints along the Accra-Tome road despite all the documentation we show to the revenue collection agencies. What is more worrying is the abnormal increases in taxes which already has dealt a big blow to our businesses.

“We are shocked by the activities of the so-called Presidential Task Force. We know they have been tormenting importers at the Tema Port and other points of entry of the country and this is very disheartening. Most of us voted for the government to come to power and if this is its way of appreciating our hard work then we are afraid how Ghanaian traders are going to have peace.”

According to Mrs Nyarkopa-Daniels, the consignments were made of assorted goods like wax prints, laces, drinks, footwear and jewellery, among others.

“We are calling for tax reduction to allow for ease of doing business. For the past three months, our goods have been intercepted leading to the ill-health of most of our women traders. Most of us have gone for loans from banks. With this development therefore, we don’t think we can be able to pay the loans on time because the interest will keep soaring.

“If we don’t see any result, we will go on demonstration. 85 percent of our members are NDC and we cannot be going to Parliament to beg ministers for money and favours as some people do. “We want to see the President and make him know what his boys are doing to us,” the aggrieved women noted.