Nigerian Traders Evade Tax Payment, Sell Substandard Goods - Ghana Information Minister

The Ghanaian Minister of Information, Kojo Nkrumah, said that Ghana had taken commensurate actions, referencing the controversial $1m levy imposed on Nigerian traders in Ghana, stating that the Nigerian Government had also "taken a number of steps" that prioritised its "national interests". He also stated that Nigerians in Ghana sold substandard goods, and violated a number of other laws while trading in the country.

This comes after Nigeria's Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, in a statement, claimed that Nigerians in Ghana were been mistreated by the Ghanaian Government, souring the relationship between sister nations.

Nkrumah said that the Nigerian Government's actions, like the closing of the Seme-Krake border in August of 2019, had affected neighbouring countries.

He also said that the Nigerian Presidency had issued an executive order that prevented foreigners from "getting jobs which Nigerians can do."

He said, “The Federal Republic (Nigeria), on the other hand, is on record to have taken a number of steps in recent months, in pursuit of her national interests, which have gravely affected other countries in the region.

READ ALSO: Ghana To Dialogue With Nigeria Over Harassment Claims

“These include the closure of Nigeria’s Seme-Krake border from August 2019 to date and the issuance of executive orders by Nigeria’s Presidency preventing foreigners from getting jobs which Nigerians can do, to mention a few.”

Speaking on the demolition of the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Nkrumah said that the commission had purchased the land from a private citizen, and its lease had expired 46 years ago, with no proof of lease renewal by the High Commission.

Touching on the closure of shops of Nigerian traders over their failure to pay the $1m trade levy, he said that during a "compliance exercise," the Ghanaian Government discovered "gross violations of retail trade laws and regulations" by both foreigners and Ghanaians alike.

He said, “The compliance exercises conducted in the selected markets revealed gross violations of retail trade laws and regulations by Ghanaians and foreigners, including Nigerians.

“These violations included tax evasion, immigration offences, trading in substandard products, violation of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre law, improper registration of firms, under-payment of business operating permits, falsification of documents, among others.”