…Pledges support in developing legislation to back up Nigeria Ghana Business Council
The Nigeria Ghana Business Council (NGBC) has congratulated as well as commended the Speaker of the Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and his team for a very successful parliamentary diplomacy outing in Ghana between the 3rd and 4th of September, 2020.
In a press release issued in Lagos by the President of the NGBC, Omoba Bambo Ademiluyi, the Council noted that it was very clear that the Speaker and his team had a clear understanding of the problems being faced by Nigerian trade and businessmen in Ghana.
It recalled that this problem had been there since 2007 adding that this was the first time the Nigerian government would be tackling it at the highest level in Ghana.
The Council observed that the main proposal for a solution which was the establishment of a Nigeria Ghana Business Council backed by legislation to superintend over trade issues between the two countries was very well thought out.
“We would like to align with this proposal and also state that there exists presently a Nigeria Ghana Business Council registered at the Corporate Affairs Commission in Nigeria. We also have our counterparts, Ghana Nigeria Business Council in Ghana.
“These two bodies have since 2012 been involved in several activities such as; workshops, seminars, trade trips, exhibitions, trade fair outings, business facilitation and trade promotions.
“The main objective of the group is to ease the conduct of business across the two countries and many of our activities which also involve traders have been geared towards this main objective”, it said.
NGBC therefore pledged their support for the setup of the government backed Councils adding that it would want to be actively involved in the current solution process developed to resolve the current impasse.
“Once again, congratulations to Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and his team and we look forward to a favourable and seamless working relationship in developing the legislations that will back the Nigeria Ghana Business Council”, the group stated.
It will be recalled that Ghanaian state officials and the Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA), have been systematically harassing and closing businesses and shops belonging to Nigerians in Ghana over alleged ineligibility to operate in the country.
Under Ghanaian law, any foreign-owned business that does not have evidence of at least $300,000 in its deposit account or goods worth that amount cannot operate in that country.
The law was made at the instance of indigenous traders who complained that Nigerians were unfairly dominating the small-scale trading turf in Ghana. The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Act was made apparently to protect the primary interests of Ghanaians.
However, House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, met with his Ghanaian counterpart, Rt. Hon. Prof. Mike Oquaye, on Wednesday evening. Both parties discussed on a Bilateral Committee Meeting aimed at resolving issues between the two countries at the Ghanaian Parliament House in Accra.
Photo: Speaker of the Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
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