Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), on Thursday, locked up shops owned by Nigerians in Kumasi, the Ashanti Region capital.
GUTA members who have for some time now waged a war on foreigners doing retail business in the country cited Ghanaian laws to justify their action.
They insisted that they have been left with no choice than to move into the markets and lock the shops up themselves because the law enforcement agencies fail to do their work, Ghana Web reports.
GUTA says foreign retailers flout section 27 of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act 865.
That law stipulates that the sale of goods or provision of services in a market, petty trading or hawking or selling of goods in a stall at any place must be reserved for Ghanaians.
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GUTA members say this law is being flouted by foreigners, particularly Nigerians, on grounds that the ECOWAS protocol on the free movement of goods and persons across the sub-region allows them to trade and do any kind of business in Ghana.
GUTA Public Relations Officer, Albert Mensah Offei, said locking up of retail shops owned by foreigners will soon be extended to other parts of the country.
But many said the action by GUTA is a retaliation for the Nigerian government’s decision to close its land borders indefinitely.
Nigeria says it hopes to cut down on smuggling by closing its borders in a move that has been widely criticised by both regional and international trade associations.
GUTA has been among the fiercest critic of the decision by Nigeria to close its borders.
