Nigerian and Ghanaian government are yet to reach a truce over the one million dollars GIPC levy, as over 1000 Nigerian traders in Ghana are set for the deportation at the end of this month. The Ghanaian Ministry of Trades has insisted that Nigerian businesses wishing to trade in the country must pay the $1 million stipulated in the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, (GIPC) Act or risk being thrown out of the country. The President of Nigeria union of Traders in Ghana Chief Chukwuemeka Levi Nnaji said, “are calling on the government of Nigeria to come to their aid as their shops remain shut to business for over 10 months despite promises to look into the misunderstanding that exists between the traders and Ghanaian authorities.
They made the plea when the traders took their protest to the Nigeria High commission in Accra, Ghana. President of the Nigeria union of Traders Association in Ghana, Chukwuemeka Nnaji said their shops should be reopened so that they can go back to their normal businesses. The traders said the Nigeria Government should evacuate them if a truce cannot be reached with the authorities in Ghana. Nigeria charge De Affairs in Ghana, Esther Arewa assured that the two governments will meet and find a lasting solution to the crisis.
In August 2020, shops belonging to Nigerian traders in Accra were locked up by Ghanaian authorities. An inter-ministerial task force on August 10 identified shops owned by Nigerian traders and requested for registration of business taxes, resident permit, standard control and Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) registration as prerequisite for reopening their businesses. They also demanded cash payment of $1 million. But after series of intervention by the Nigeria’s Minister Of Foreign Affairs and the Speaker of Nigeria’s House Of Representatives, promises were made by the Ghanaian Authorities to open the shops , a promise that has remained unfulfilled till date.
