Nana Kwabena Peprah, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the Ghana Union of Traders (GUTA), is urgently calling on authorities to address the growing presence of foreign nationals in Ghana’s domestic retail sector.
According to Mr Peprah, retail trading is legally reserved for Ghanaian citizens under national law.
However, he asserts that foreigners have increasingly encroached upon this sector, threatening the livelihoods of Ghanaians.
He specifically cited Section 27(1) of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act, 2013 (Act 865), which explicitly prohibits non-Ghanaians from engaging in retail trade, hawking, petty trading, or operating stalls and markets. Despite this clear legal framework, foreign nationals have, in his words, “taken over our retail markets, depriving citizens of their livelihoods.”
Mr Peprah emphasised that GUTA’s primary interest is to ensure the rigorous enforcement of these laws to “sanitise the retail market”. In an interview on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he expressed strong disappointment, stating that the government has “failed woefully” in addressing the issue.
He issued a stern warning: if regulatory authorities do not strictly implement the provisions of the GIPC Act, it could lead to widespread unrest within Ghana’s commercial landscape.
Addressing the common claim that foreigners sell their goods at cheaper rates, Peprah offered a detailed scenario to explain the disparity:
“I want to explain to Ghanaians why this is so that we can examine the situation,” he began. “Imagine I travel to Dubai to buy goods, and while there, I meet Emeka, who is also purchasing the same items. But after purchasing these items, he sends them to Nigeria, while I bring mine to Ghana.”
He continued, highlighting the advantages foreign traders allegedly enjoy: “Emeka enjoyed a 15% flat rate of the total amount of items he purchased. He then uses the Eastern Corridor road in transporting these items to Ghana while bribing officials on these roads.
Additionally, they enjoy 12% interest on loans, while traders in Ghana take loans with a 35% interest rate and pay almost 55% in taxes on the total amount I purchased for my goods from Dubai.”
He concluded by questioning the fairness of the situation: “Although as a Ghanaian I don’t mind these taxes because they are used for free SHS and national health insurance, Emeka, on the other hand, is enjoying the free SHS and health insurance. So tell me, is this a fair practice?”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
