Trade Ministry intensifies opposition to foreign retailers

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Deputy Trade Minister, Carlos Ahenkorah has said, the ministry is developing strict measures to remove foreigners from Ghana’s retail market.

Mr. Ahenkorah disclosed that the ministry has come up with pragmatic ways to deal with the issue of foreigners trading in Ghana’s retail market.

“That breaking of the commercial law where some Chinese citizens unknowingly come to Ghana invest, trade and sell in our markets must be stopped…I can say that for that particular case, we are doing something about it in that industry,” he said.

The Deputy Minister went on to state pragmatically, the measures the ministry is developing to ensure the market is wiped off foreigners.

“First thing we are trying to do is to educate then go down to the market with the task force to ensure that our laws are complied with,” he explained.

Ghanaian traders in the retail sector have often complained over the invasion of the market by foreigners.

Several attempts by the government to flush out the foreigners have also been constrained by some ECOWAS and other international trade protocols.

But Mr. Ahenkorah in an interview with Citi Business News, assured that the ministry will work to preserve the retail market for Ghanaians, as stated in the laws of the country.

He made the assurance on the sidelines of the second edition of the China trade week in Ghana.

Ghana and China Bilateral Trade

For nearly six decades, Ghana and China have had bilateral relations with China playing a significant role in certain key infrastructure projects in Ghana.

Some of them include the Bui Hydroelectric Dam, the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant, the Sunon Asogli Power Plant and the Kpong Water Supply Expansion project.

As at the end of 2017, China was ranked among the top five investor countries by number and value of projects registered by the GIPC.

The country also registered 793 investment projects with an estimated foreign direct investment value of over USD3billion from China.

CitiNews

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