The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has said respite is coming the way of the Nigerian business community in Ghana as the government of the West African country has promised to reconsider its policy on foreign businesses, following his intervention.
Ekweremadu said the implementation of the policy had led to the shutting of over 400 shops owned by Nigerians in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
The lawmaker, who is a former Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, gave the indication on his Facebook page on Sunday, following his discussions with the Regional Minister of the Ashanti Region, Simon Osei-Mensah.
The Government of Ghana in August this year ordered the sealing off of over 400 shops belonging to Nigerians at the expiry of an eviction order issued by the Ministry of Trade.
Ekweremadu noted that the freedom of the peoples of the sub-region to ply their trades in any part of West Africa was central to the prosperity of ECOWAS.
He said, “I spoke with the Regional Minister of Ashanti, Ghana, my brother and former deputy at the ECOWAS Parliament, Simon Osei-Mensah, over the weekend on the pains of the Nigerian business community in the Ashanti Region of Ghana on the sealing off of over 400 Nigerian-owned shops in Ghana, especially in Kumasi.
“We shared thoughts on the need to uphold the spirit and letters of the various ECOWAS Protocols as well as the pursuit of the ECOWAS Vision 2020, which aims at a transition from an ECOWAS of states to ECOWAS of peoples.
“Osei-Mensah assured me of the safety of Nigerian businesses and people in Ghana, noting that he would personally take up the matter with the authorities to ensure that the shops were reopened immediately.”
Ekweremadu added, “Nigeria and Ghana have come a long way and it is my hope that we will continue to nurture this relationship for the mutual benefit of our respective countries.
“Meanwhile, I am in touch with the Nigerian business community in Ghana, including the National President, Nigerian Union of Traders Associations, Ghana, Mr Chukwuemeka Nnaji, and I have urged them to remain calm, law-abiding and continue to live in peace with their hosts in the spirit of African and ECOWAS brotherhood.”
