Authorities in Ghana shut down over 400 businesses owned by Nigerians

Over 400 businesses owned by Nigerians have been closed by authorities in Ghana, sparking a protest by owners who have issued a week ultimatum to the Nigerian government to resolve the surrounding the maltreatment of Nigerian business community in Ghana.

Already, the National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) have written a petition to President Buhari and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the issue.

The association gave a one-week ultimatum to the commission to intervene in the matter, warning that the association would occupy the ECOWAS premises if the situation in Ghana was not addressed. In their protest march to the ECOWAS Secretariat on Monday in Abuja, the traders urged the Commission to intervene to stop the alleged victimisation of Nigerian business men and women in Ghana.

According to some local media reports on Tuesday, the President of NANT, Ken Ukaoha, stated that the development has reached a point where the Ghanaian Parliament has passed a legislation to make the business environment hostile to foreign investors. He said that the ECOWAS President, Jean-Claude Brou, had been petitioned over the development.

“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 Ministry of Trade and Industry,” Ukaoha said.

According to him, the members of the association have been 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”.