Prime News Ghana

Nigeria being unfair with closing of boarders to foreign goods - GUTA

By Mutala Yakubu
File photo
File photo
Shares
facebook sharing button Share
twitter sharing button Tweet
email sharing button Email
sharethis sharing button Share

The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) says Nigeria is being unfair in their trade practice after closing their boarders to foreign goods.

Nigeria has closed its boarders with neighbouring West African countries for almost two months now.

GUTA in a statement claimed goods destined for the Nigerian market are stranded at the Benin boarder to Nigeria, causing financial loss to exporters.

Clement Boateng the National organizer of GUTA says Nigerian government’s reason for the closure was to protect its local rice farmers from rice being smuggled into its market, an excuse he calls flimsy.

READ ALSO: GUTA threatens nationwide demo over non-enforcement of retail laws

“If Nigeria has the audacity to say that they will not allow any country to bring in their goods because they want to protect their market, I think it is unfair,” he said.

Earlier, the Nigerian government in its Prohibited and Restricted Imports list banned the importation of 45 products including rice, cement, textile products cocoa butter, powder and cakes as well as other products it currently manufactures.

GUTA said it was surprised at the silence of ECOWAS commission and the ministry of trade on this development.

“Nigeria things they are the giants in the West Africa and for that matter they want to dictate the pace of ECOWAS. We think this is wrong and it is about time the ECOWAS commission stood up and say something. About it,” Clement Boateng said.

He says the restriction affects all West African countries and not only Ghana traders, defusing concerns that Nigeria is retaliating move by Ghanaian traders to eject foreigners, especially Nigerians, doing retailing in Ghana.

GUTA claims while Ghana is suffering from similar challenges of smuggling, any action it takes to enforce her laws, ECOWAS Commission steps in to put pressure in the name of sub-regional integration.

Meanwhile, GUTA says all it can do now is to put pressure on the current authorities to do something about the closure of the boarders.

READ ALSO:  Laws on retail trade : GUTA agrees to meet Nigerian Union of Traders

Source: 3news