{"id":727141,"date":"2019-10-19T23:22:07","date_gmt":"2019-10-19T23:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ghana-mma.com\/2019\/10\/19\/retaliatory-action-against-nigeria-could-complicate-trade-talks-agi\/"},"modified":"2019-10-19T23:22:07","modified_gmt":"2019-10-19T23:22:07","slug":"retaliatory-action-against-nigeria-could-complicate-trade-talks-agi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/10\/19\/retaliatory-action-against-nigeria-could-complicate-trade-talks-agi\/","title":{"rendered":"Retaliatory action against Nigeria could complicate trade talks – AGI"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

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The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has reacted to calls by the
\n Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) for the closure of Ghana\u2019s
\nEastern border in the wake of the Nigeria-Benin border closure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chief Executive Officer of the AGI, Seth Twum Akwaboah tells
\nJoyBusiness any retaliatory action from Ghana will complicate ongoing
\ntrade negotiations with Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we also go and close our border, then it means you are virtually perpetrating wrongdoing. Rather, we should appeal to them. In the interim, let\u2019s wait to see how the talks will go. The way to go is to deal with the challenge instead of opening ourselves up to more challenges,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

President of GUTA, Dr Joseph Obeng, who had earlier lamented the slow
\n intervention by the Foreign Affairs Ministry on this trade impasse,
\nimpressed on Ghanaian authorities to close down the Eastern border to
\nimports from the Nigerian market to check smuggling of goods into
\nGhana\u2019s market.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point, the situation has become two-fold and we foresee
\ngoods being smuggled through the Eastern Corridor due to what is
\nhappening in Nigeria. Already, Ghanaian traders are locked out from
\nNigeria. Goods are also locked up there. The other point will see our
\nmarkets flooded with smuggled goods if not checked. It must be shut down
\n as a matter of urgency,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

So far, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has
\nappealed to Ghanaian traders to remain calm as it works with the
\nNigerian authority to ease its ban on the exportation of Non-Traditional
\n products into the latter\u2019s market.<\/p>\n

In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry said: \u201cit empathizes with the traders who have to deal with the ban and the closure of Seme-Krake, Igolo and Idiroko borders without prior notice to the ECOWAS Member States.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Foreign Ministry said this is having a consequential impact on regional trade and people-to-people contact.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to the closure of the borders and its effects, Ghana has
\n to deal with measures already enforced in Nigeria that have made it
\ndifficult for Ghanaian traders to export Non-Traditional products into
\nthe Nigerian markets in spite of the ECOWAS trade Liberation Scheme,\u201d
\nthe statement said.<\/p>\n

In August, Nigeria\u2019s president, Muhammadu Buhari ordered a partial
\nclosure of the border with Benin to check smuggling of cheap goods into
\nNigeria.<\/p>\n

However, the borders with all neighbouring countries were shut down
\ncompletely this September. Dr Joseph Obeng argues the issue, if not
\nchecked, could hamper the Continental Free Trade Area.<\/p>\n

According to him, \u201cThe CFTA rests solely on already existing protocols and if care is not taken, countries like Nigeria will bully their way into the agreement area, this is unfair trade and could hamper the whole CFTA.\u201d<\/p>\n

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) says the
\nimportation of some exclusive products and sensitive sectors that some
\neconomies like Nigeria have banned will by the 13th year of the
\nContinental Free Trade Agreement Area be completely phased out.<\/p>\n

So far, the Nigerian government insists there is no end in sight to
\nthe partial closure of land borders until the condition of smuggling is
\nchecked for the mutual benefit of all neighbouring countries.<\/p>\n

The exercise, code-named, \u2018Ex-Swift Response\u2019, was being jointly conducted by the customs, immigration, police and military personnel and coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser.<\/p>\n

Femi Adesina, the President\u2019s spokesman in a statement, said
\nPresident Buhari expressed great concern over the smuggling of rice.<\/p>\n

The president said the activities of the smugglers threatened the
\nself-sufficiency already attained due to his administration\u2019s
\nagricultural policies.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that our people in the rural areas are going back to their
\nfarms, and the country has saved huge sums of money which would
\notherwise have been expended on importing rice using our scarce foreign
\nreserves. We cannot allow smuggling of the product at such alarming
\nproportions to continue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Nigerian President said the limited closure of the country\u2019s
\nwestern border was to allow Nigeria\u2019s security forces to develop a
\nstrategy on how to stem the dangerous trend and its wider ramifications.<\/p>\n

The Nigerian leader gave the reason during an audience granted his
\nBeninois counterpart, Patrice Talon, on the margins of the Seventh Tokyo
\n International Conference for African Development (TICAD7), in Yokohama,
\n Japan.<\/p>\n

Responding to the concerns raised by President Talon on the magnitude
\n of suffering caused by the closure, President Buhari said he had taken
\nnote and would reconsider reopening in the not-too-distant future.<\/p>\n

He, however, disclosed that a meeting with his counterparts from Benin and Niger Republics would soon be called to determine strict and comprehensive measures to curtail the level of smuggling across their borders.<\/p>\n

Source: Ghana|Joy Business <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has reacted to calls by the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) for the closure of Ghana\u2019s Eastern border in the wake of the Nigeria-Benin border closure.\u00a0 Chief Executive Officer of the AGI, Seth Twum Akwaboah tells JoyBusiness any retaliatory action from Ghana will complicate ongoing trade negotiations with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":727142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-727141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\nRetaliatory action against Nigeria could complicate trade talks - AGI - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/10\/19\/retaliatory-action-against-nigeria-could-complicate-trade-talks-agi\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Retaliatory action against Nigeria could complicate trade talks - 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