Traders seek ECOWAS intervention as Ghana closes 400 Nigerian companies

The National Association of Nigerian Traders stormed the secretariat of the Economic Community of West African States in Abuja on Monday to protest the alleged closure of Nigerian-owned stores in Ghana.

The protest, which began around 9:30 am, partially paralyzed the activities of the ECOWAS Secretariat.

Protesters marched through the streets of Yakubu Gowon Way in Asokoro, a development that resulted in a traffic jam in the area.

The protesters carried placards bearing various inscriptions such as: “We need the intervention of the ECOWAS”, “Ghana, now reopen the stores of Nigeria”, “ECOWAS, the situation in Ghana is totally unacceptable” among others.

Speaking at the protest, NANT President Ken Ukaoha said the association was protesting the alleged victimization of Nigerian businessmen in Ghana.

He said the development has become so serious that a law has recently been passed by the Ghanaian parliament to make the business environment hostile to foreign investors.

Ukaoha said that since Ghana was a signatory to the ECOWAS protocol on the free movement of goods and services, the commission was to warn the government of Ghana.

He added that the association gave the commission an ultimatum of one week to intervene in the matter, adding that if nothing was done, it would deploy all its members to occupy the premises of the Secretariat of ECOWAS.

Ukaoha stated that already, the association had written petitions to the President of ECOWAS, Jean-Claude Brou, and President Muhammadu Buhari on the development.

A copy of the petition to ECOWAS dated September 24 was made available to our correspondent.

It read in part, “This is a save our soul call and the urgency of this protest is to inform you of the state of fear, uncertainty and insecurity that Nigerian traders are currently subjected to in the hands of the government and people of Ghana in different cities under the coordination of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

“You are very much aware that we wrote you, raised the alarm and reported to the commission several times of the discriminatory and unfair treatment meted to Nigerian traders and Nigerian-owned small businesses in Ghana when the Ghana Ministry of Trade and Industry issued a public notice and gave an ultimatum that all non-Ghanaians should move out of markets on the 27th of July, 2018.

“In August 2018, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the GIPC and the Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations in a joint operations established a task force with specific mandate to clamp down on Nigerian traders and which had eventually resulted in the ongoing closure of over 400 Nigerian traders’ shops and lawfully established businesses in Kumasi, Ashanti region of Ghana.

“Our members are shut out of their business premises in pursuance of the eviction order dated July 27, 2018, demanding that we must have $1m as minimum foreign investment capital to do business in Ghana.