TENSIONS HEIGHTEN OVER NIGERIAN SHOPS IN GHANA BEING SHUT DOWN!

Seth Adjei Baah, President of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce & Industry, has disclosed that Nigeria and Ghana are set to form a joint committee to look into the simmering tension over trade issues.

This was made known yesterday when the Nigerian High Commissioner, Ademola Oluseyi Onafowokan paid a courtesy call on members of the Chamber.

The visit of the High Commissioner comes on the heels of agitations by members of the Nigeria Union of Traders Association, Ghana chapter (NUTAG), who have accused the Ministry of Trade and Industry of violating ECOWAS protocol by closing some of shops of its members at Okaishie last week.

It appears Ghanaian authorities have renewed the siege against foreign traders, as the Ministry of Trade and Industry at the weekend clamped down over 40 shops belonging to Nigerians.

The shops located at Okaishie, about 200 meters away from the Mokola International Market were occupied by Nigerians who traded in bicycle spare parts and other accessories.

According to one of the affected traders, Mr. Damien Uduba, their shops were stormed by some officials of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, who compelled them to pack their goods and thereafter had the shops under lock and key. The officials were reported to have secured the shops with their own padlocks, thereby making them inaccessible to the owners.
Business in the usually busy area has almost grinded to a halt, as only a few shops said to be owned by Ghanaians are open.