Shops in Accra and Kumasi to be closed down In Protest Against influx of Foreigners 

Shops in Accra and Kumasi are expected to close down from
24th June to Friday 27th per the directive of the Ghana Union
of Traders Association GUTA. 

This is to express the Union's strong reservation about the influx of foreigners in the retail market and the depreciation of the cedi which is affecting the cost of doing
business among other challenges. 

GUTA says the Ministry of Trade and the Ghana Investment Promotion Center have failed to enforce the laws in that sector. 

At a media briefing in Accra, the President of GUTA, George Ofori said, the time has come for GUTA to take the laws into their hands as government has refused to pay heed to their calls.

Meanwhile, The National Executives of Small Scale Rice Dealers Association of Ghana (SSRIDA-GH), have called on all its members across the country to support the call by  Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), to close their shops on Tuesday, June 24.

This, GUTA said is a way of expressing the grievances of members to government on some policies by the Trade and Industry Ministry.

A statement issued by Yaw Koranteng, Coordinator of SSRIDA –GH in Accra on Monday and copied to Ghana News Agency, said members support the action of GUTA since it would draw government attention to policies that are collapsing and frustrating local businesses.

According to SSRIDA, Ghana’s economy is now largely controlled by foreign traders and importers, which is contributing to the depreciation of the cedi, leading to economic crises.

“For the past seven months SSRIDA-GH has used different platforms to appeal to the ministry to reverse its ban on the inland importation of rice but all to no avail.

“Though we have made the ministry aware that our bankers are chasing us for the monies we borrowed to invest into the business, it appears nobody cares about the plight of local trades”, the statement said.

It said the current economic chaos is gradually pushing local traders out of business.

It said the body had used different platforms to draw the ministry’s attention to the sufferings members are going through as a result of the bad policies, leading to economic hardship and difficult living condition of the average Ghanaian.

The statement said the policies are making government unpopular economically, politically and socially and dragging its image into disrepute.

GBC/GNA