About 200 Nigerians have stormed their High Commission in Accra, demanding the reopening of their shops.
According to the angry Nigerians, who wielded placards in front of the High Commission, their shops have been under lock for the past 10 months without any explanations from officials.
They chanted slogans like ‘Open Our Shops’.
Security has been beefed up at the venue.
They claimed shops of other West African nationals have been opened but there has not been any proper explanation why shops of theirs are still locked.
The row between Ghanaian and Nigerian traders stems from the perennial complaints by the indigenous traders that foreigners including Nigerians are engaged in retail business against Ghana’s laws.
The GIPC Law, Act 865, bars foreigners from retail trade, among other businesses, in Ghana.
Section 28 of Act 865 expressly provides for the conditions under which a person who is not a citizen can engage in trading activities. The provision provides that “a person who is not a citizen may engage in a trading enterprise if that person invests in the enterprise, not less than One Million United States Dollars in cash or goods and services relevant to the investments”.
The matter found its way into the Nigerian House of Representatives, whose Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabialamila, visited his Ghanaian counterpart, Rt. Hon. Aaron Mike Oquaye, to discuss the issue.
The Nigeria government had officially complained to ECOWAS about the reported harassment of its citizens but Ghana’s government issued a statement to refute this.
Source: 3news.com
