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NPP Chairman for Bono Region, Kwame Boffoe aka Abronye DC has backed Ghana Traders Union Association (GUTA) in the Ashanti Region for locking up shops belonging to Nigerian traders at Suame Magazine in Kumasi.

Abronye DC believed GUTA’s action is in the right direction.

About twenty shops belonging to Nigerian retail traders have been locked since Monday by Ghanaian traders at Suame Magazine.

They accused the Nigerian traders of illegally engaging in retail business.

GUTA had ordered their members in Accra and Kumasi to close the shops saying their operations contravene Section 27 of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act 865.

According to GUTA, the law stipulates that the “sale of goods or provision of services in a market, petty trading or hawking or selling of goods in a stall at any place must be reserved for Ghanaians. Other activities not permitted for non-citizens include: Operation of taxi or car hire service in an enterprise that has a fleet of less than twenty-five vehicles, Operation of a beauty salon or a barbershop, Printing of recharge scratch cards for the use of subscribers of telecommunication services, Production of exercise books and other basic stationery, Retail of finished pharmaceutical products, Production and retail of sachet water”.

Abronye DC, speaking on UTV’s “Adekye Nsroma”, appealed to the relevant law enforcement agencies to enforce the GIPC laws governing petty trading in the country to avoid future occurrences.

“The GIPC law stated clear that foreigners are not allowed to engage in petty trading like barbering, pure water business, phone business etc. but looking at the situation that is what is happening…go to Circle and see; Nigerians are more dominated in the phone business which is wrong…I believe that GUTA has an issue but they should use the appropriate means to resolve it”, he said.

Watch full interview below: