The Retail Traders Association in Tamale has issued a three week ultimatum to non Ghanaian traders in the metropolis to comply with the existing trade laws by acquiring the necessary documentation to avoid their wrath.
According to the Association, beginning September 27, they would be embarking on an action to lockup shops owned by foreign nationals that have failed to comply with the laws governing the trade sector.
The association’s chairman, in an interview with Diamond News noted that city authorities and Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) have both failed to enforce the laws that bar foreigners from the retail business hence their decision to embark on such action.
Speaking on behalf of the Association, the chairman of the group Shafik Ahmed indicated that they have written several letters to alert the city authorities about the activities of some of the foreign nationals engaging in the retailing business, but all these have fallen on deaf ears.
“We are not against foreigners engaging in lawful businesses, but a few foreigners, who do not respect the laws of the country, cannot be allowed to collapse our businesses.
“Our intended action is for compliance with the laws of Ghana, because we don’t want what happened in other parts of the country to happen here. Our institutions who are mandated to enforce the laws have failed us, and that is why we are in this mess”, he lamented.
“We are planning as an association to sue institutions like GIPC who have failed to live by their mandate“, Shafik Ahmed stated.
Source: Alhassan Yakubu | diamondfmonline.com | Ghana
