Story: Kofi OWUSU TAWIAH

The Ghana Union of Traders’ Association (GUTA),has appealed to the Committee on Foreign Retail Trade to as a matter of urgency resume its operations without delay due to what the Association called an affront behaviour of the Nigerian Union of Traders Association in Ghana NUTAG, towards efforts at finding a common ground between the two counterparts.

A statement by GUTA accused NUTAG of completely rejecting the special dispensation offered to its members by the government of Ghana after a series of diplomatic efforts by the two  neighbouring countries.

It alleged among other things that the directive by a joint committee meeting of Ghana and Nigeria to get NUTAG to provide data on its membership and other relevant documentation on their businesses to enable the committee to make an informed decision in line with its terms of reference had fallen on deaf ears.

According to GUTA, the government prevailed on its members to exercise restraint as the two sister countries try to find a lasting solution to the long-standing issue of invasion of the markets by foreign retail traders.

As a result, the operations of the Committee on Foreign Retail Trade which was tasked to check and close down shops of recalcitrant foreigners has been halted.

Consequently, GUTA found  the attitude of the Nigerian traders in Ghana not only an affront but also a well-orchestrated ploy to frustrate the work of the committee.