Traders at UTC in Accra’s Central Business District (CBD) shut down their shops this morning to protest the increasing presence of foreigners in the retail space. Members of the Traders Advocacy Group (TAGG) and other traders argue that foreigners are engaging in illegal retail activities, which is negatively impacting Ghanaian retailers and driving them out of business.
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They are calling on the government to enforce the GIPC Act, which prohibits foreigners from engaging in retail business and restricts them to wholesale operations. David Amoateng, President of TAGG, emphasized that the influx of foreign retailers has led to a takeover of shops previously occupied by Ghanaians, as well as a decrease in capital for local traders due to unfair pricing practices.
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However, a Chinese businessman operating a shop at UTC dismissed the allegations, stating that foreigners are only involved in the resale trade. On a related note, the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) in the Eastern Region has also announced plans to extend their operations of closing down shops of foreigners engaged in retail space to all towns in the region.
GUTA has already closed down 38 shops belonging to foreigners in Koforidua, an operation supervised by the Ghana Police Service. Darlen Nana Boateng, the Eastern Regional Public Relations Officer of GUTA, explained that their actions are aimed at preventing illegal activities by foreign retailers.
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