Bilateral trade dispute: NANTS lauds Ghana, Nigeria govts

The National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) has commended governments of both Ghana and Nigeria for the progress taken to resolve the lingering bilateral trade dispute.

NANTS made this known in a communiqué signed by the union’s Secretariat President, Ken Ukaoha, after the recent meeting between the two governments held in Accra at the instance of both countries Ministers of Trade.

It would be recalled that many Nigerian traders operating in Ghana have had their shops under lock and keys on the order of the Ghanaian Investment Promotion Act (47) which seeks foreigners doing business in Ghana to have an operating capital of USD300,000, employ about ten Ghanaians and operate only in designated markets across the country.

The communiqué noted that the law and its enforcement has remained a subject of several bickering between the two countries especially among traders from both countries operating under the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) and the Nigerian Union of Traders Association in Ghana (NUTAG – a member of NANTS).

It said, “Although many Nigerians have advocated for retaliation on the part of Nigeria, it is quite inspiring and appreciable that President Goodluck Jonathan has continued to explore diplomatic and political solution to the lingering political tension resulting from what we see as a misguided enforcement. NANTS recalls that Mr President has sent several delegations to Ghana, and Committees have also worked on the subject matter while the President has also held personal discussions with his Ghanaian counterpart. In addition, we also recall that the ECOWAS Parliament had, following a Memo by NANTS intervened on the matter and condemned such treatment through a fact-finding mission and other processes with frank discussions at the floor of the Parliament.

“While all of these have had little or no effect on the Ghanaian Authorities, WE deem the recent meeting between the two Ministers as step in the direction of peaceful fruit and the achievement of the goal of integration in the sub-region. WE take solace in the contents of the Press conference addressed by the two Ministers to the extent that the Minister of Trade in Ghana admitted that Nigerians being referred to as foreigners especially within the context of ECOWAS regional integration is an obvious error, and therefore promised to unlock all shops of Nigerians hitherto under lock and keys.

National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) therefore call on both countries to continue in their consultations and work towards finding a lasting solution to the quagmire. Noting that Ghana has frowned at the halting of her products into the Nigerian market through prohibition policy, “we specifically call on the Nigerian government to seek ways of reviewing the prohibition list particularly to tally with the provisions of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) to which both countries are signatories. Nigeria cannot afford to be applying a simultaneous approbation and reprobation of policies while the economy and economic operators bear the brunt with political integrity remaining at stake”, he added.

The communiqué further said; “On the part of Ghana, we note that the law in question is an Act of Parliament. Therefore, whether rightly or wrongly conceived and enacted, the most compromising and final solution would also fall in the hands of the Ghanaian parliament whose sacrosanct power it is to amend such law towards ensuring that the provisions which make Nigeria or other ECOWAS citizens residing or doing business in Ghana are neither foreigners not deemed so in the eyes of the spirit and letter of the ECOWAS Protocols on Free Movement, the Rights of Residence and the Rights of Establishment. It would be recalled that the Free Movement Protocol is essentially a contraption aimed at the realization of the economic integration agenda of the ECOWAS region as set out in Articles 3 and 27 (Paragraph 1) of the ECOWAS Treaty. The 1979 Protocol (A/P.1/5/79), subsequently reviewed with a Supplementary Protocol in 1985 (A/SP.1/7/85) on the Code of Conduct for its implementation; and other reviews in 1986, 1989 and a final phase in 1990 are all in recognition of the need for economic integration, the free flow of persons that are citizens of ECOWAS, their goods, services and capital.”

The communiqué also recalled that Article 27 (paragraph 2) of the ECOWAS Treaty, which both countries (and other members) specifically affirmed and committed to the provisions and for the avoidance of doubt, has eventually resulted into a common passport that bears ECOWAS inscription, and has led to the abolition of visa regimes, thereafter allow citizens of other member states to work and undertake commercial and industrial activities within their territories.

NANTS therefore urged the ECOWAS Commission to awake to her responsibility of enforcing her laws and perhaps building in strong sanction mechanisms at ensuring that these laws such as the free movement protocols are not only respected in breach by member States.