Home West Africa Nigeria–Ghana acrimony still persists: Nigerian shops are closing shutters in Ghana

Nigeria–Ghana acrimony still persists: Nigerian shops are closing shutters in Ghana

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(3 minutes read)

· Trade tensions between Ghana and Nigeria continue despite a truce for a while. Ghana’s Accra seems to be epicenter of the friction

· What irritates them is the obligation cast on non-citizens who want to invest in the country to pay a tax of one million US dollars (about Euro 850,000) for doing business there

· A trade war is being waged between Ghanaian natives and foreign business owners over the control of the local retail trade in the capital city, Accra

Trade tensions between Ghana and Nigeria continue despite a truce for a while. Ghana’s Accra seems to be the epicenter of the friction. Nigerian traders based in Accra complain that they are targeted. What irritates them is the obligation cast on non-citizens who want to invest in the country to pay a tax of one million US dollars (about Euro 850,000) for doing business there.

Nigerian traders are accusing local authorities in Ghana of discrimination after many had their shops closed in the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic. A trade war is being waged between Ghanaian natives and foreign business owners over the control of the local retail trade in the capital city, Accra.

Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) laws prohibit foreigners from getting involved in the retail sector unless they invest at least 1 million USD — and the Ghana Union of Traders Association has been lobbying its implementation since 2019. Meanwhile, several hundred Nigerian-owned retail shops have already been shut down.

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