Ghana must retaliate border closure – GUTA

President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Dr Joseph Obeng has called Government to retaliate the Nigerian border closure on Ghanaians.

According to Dr Joseph Obeng in an interview monitored by MyNewsGh.com, the borders with all neighbouring countries shut if not checked could hamper the Continental Free Trade Area.

“We can’t stay without fighting back, at this point, the situation has become two-fold and we foresee goods being smuggled through the Eastern Corridor due to what is happening in Nigeria”.

“Already, Ghanaian traders are locked out from Nigeria. Goods are also locked up there. The other point will see our markets flooded with smuggled goods if not checked. It must be shut down as a matter of urgency,” he told the host Citizen Kofi Owusu on Ahortor Fm.

So far, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has appealed to Ghanaian traders to remain calm as it works with the Nigerian authority to ease its ban on the exportation of Non-Traditional products into the latter’s market.

In August, Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari ordered a partial closure of the border with Benin to check smuggling of cheap goods into Nigeria.

However, the borders with all neighbouring countries were shut down completely this September.