GUTA threatens nationwide protests over foreign Influx in retail trade

GUTA is demanding urgent government action to stop what it describes as the growing takeover of the retail sector by foreign nationals, an area that, by law, is supposed to be reserved for Ghanaians.

The Association points to Section 27(1) of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act, 2013 (Act 865), which clearly restricts retail trading to Ghanaian citizens.

The latest warning follows a demonstration at Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra, where traders voiced their frustration over what they see as years of government silence and poor enforcement of the law. According to GUTA, foreign traders; often better resourced, are undercutting local prices and threatening the survival of small Ghanaian-owned shops.

GUTA’s Greater Accra Regional Chairman, Nana Kwabena Peprah, criticized the government for ignoring repeated protests and failing to open any form of dialogue with the association.

GUTA has a history of direct action. In recent years, they have locked up foreign-owned shops in places like Koforidua and issued ultimatums to authorities.

In 2021, their Eastern Regional branch shut down over 40 shops run by foreign nationals and even sought legal means to keep them closed. Back in 2017, the Ashanti Regional wing gave government 72 hours to respond to similar concerns or face consequences.

Despite all these efforts, enforcement of the law has been patchy at best. Local traders say the system increasingly favors foreign businesses that operates in clear breach of the law and they have been left to fend for themselves.