Gov't Clampdown On Foreign Retail Traders

Government is going ahead with its operation to clampdown on foreigners it says are illegally participating in the retail trade.

The taskforce in charge of the operation is currently at the Makola Market here in Accra, one of the areas targeted.

The Inter Agency Taskforce made up of officials from the Registrar Generals Department, Ghana Investment Promotion Center, the Ghana Revenue Authority, Police, Immigration Service, Trade and Foreign Affairs Ministries had earlier met to strategize on how to carry out the exercise.

The Ghana Investment promotion law bars foreign traders from retailing unless they invest an initial capital of 300 thousand dollars.

Joy News' Francis Abban, who is with the task force, reported the exercise was peaceful.

The exercise is taking place in spite of efforts by the ECOWAS Parliament delegation which is currently in Ghana to intervene on behalf of ECOWAS nationals.

Nigerian businesses in Ghana are strongly pushing for a review of the law and Albert Bayor, President of the Nigerian Community in Ghana hopes the visiting ECOWAS delegation can make an impact.

Meanwhile legal practitioner, Dominic Ayene is cautioning government to be cautious in handling the situation.

He said Ghana had signed treaties that barred from the very action the government was taking - seeking discriminate between citizens and the people of other countries.

The Vice President of IMANI Ghana, Kofi Bentil holds a similar view.

He said what Ghana needed was a conscious effort at promoting Ghanaian businesses not protectionism.

Mr Bentil believes the law allowing Ghana to take the action was bad but the implementation was even worse, fearing other countries may retaliate and Ghanaians living in those countries will be the losers.