Mr Haruna Iddrisu, outgoing Trade and Industry Minister, has inaugurated an inter-agency task force to work in market places to ensure that no foreigner engages in retail trade.

Mr Iddrisu said foreigners engaging in the trade are clear violations of GIPC Act 865. The task force has representatives from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ghana Revenue Authority and Ghana Police Service.

Others are the Social Security and National Insurance Trust, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Registrar Generals Department, Ghana Union of Traders Association and Office of the National Security Coordinator.

Mr Iddrisu appealed to members to start work immediately and accordingly report back to the ministry, adding that while the national task force has been constituted inauguration of regional ones would be done across the country to ensure that law is fully implemented.

“There should be less emotions involved to ensure that persons who come to do business would do so in accordance with the law,” he added. Mr George Kweku Ofori, President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) said the setting up of the task force was a step in the right direction and expressed the hope that it would work to achieve its aim of protecting the sovereignty of the nation as the previous ones set up failed to live up to expectation.

Mr Ofori noted that foreigners should not think that Ghanaians and GUTA for that matter are against investors since every country no matter their level of development seeks foreign direct investment and Ghana was no exception. He called on the security agencies, especially the police to use their office to carry out functions for which they have been set up to ensure that the country is not plunged into chaos.

Chief Superintendent Naa Hamza Yakubu, a member of the taskforce, reiterated that GUTA and other members should use less sentiment and interests in conducting their activities in other to achieve the aims of the task force in accordance with the law.