Abossey Okai Market Traders Plan to Expel Foreigners from Small-Scale Trading
The Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association has announced that beginning Monday, September 8, 2025, it will embark on an exercise to ensure strict compliance with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act, 2013 (Act 865).
In a statement signed by its Director of Communications, Takyi Addo, the Association said the move specifically targets Section 27(1) of the Act, which prohibits non-citizens from engaging in petty trading, hawking, or selling goods in stalls and markets.
The Association noted that despite the law, foreigners continue to operate in trading spaces such as Abossey Okai, a situation it described as undermining the livelihoods of local traders and weakening indigenous entrepreneurship.
“Successive governments have failed to ensure full enforcement of this Act, resulting in a persistent drain on the businesses of Ghanaian traders. The time has come to uphold the law and protect local enterprise from unlawful competition,” the statement read.
The group stressed that it is not against foreign investment in Ghana, acknowledging its importance to national development, but insisted such investments must comply with the country’s trade laws.
It also called on relevant state institutions and stakeholders to support the exercise to preserve the integrity of local trade and secure the future of Ghanaian businesses.
