Stop blaming traders for high prices of goods – GUTA President

Cease blaming merchants for prime costs of products – GUTA President

The President of the Ghana Union of Merchants Associations (GUTA), Dr. Joseph Obeng, has urged Ghanaians to cease unfairly blaming merchants for prime commodity costs.

He stated the true causes lie in inflation, taxes, and financial mismanagement.

Talking concerning the difficulty on the KeyPoints with Alfred Ocansey on Could 17, Dr. Obeng stated merchants are additionally victims of Ghana’s unstable financial setting and shouldn’t be became scapegoats.

“It’s unfair to vilify merchants. We’re not the rationale for prime costs. Inflation, gas hikes, taxes, and the falling cedi are,” he acknowledged.

Dr. Obeng famous that merchants are attempting to remain afloat in a risky financial system.

“We go to the identical market, we really feel the identical ache,” he stated, calling on the media and common public to raised perceive the underlying components.

He additionally urged the federal government to interact the enterprise group in coverage discussions to make sure sustainable options are discovered.

Dr Obeng additionally known as on the federal government to take pressing steps to deal with the challenges dealing with Ghanaian merchants on the borders.

Based on him, the closure of the borders resulting from current political tensions in Niger and the broader West African sub-region has considerably impacted commerce flows, particularly between Ghana and its landlocked neighbors.

“ECOWAS international locations like Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso are our fundamental markets. The borders are closed, and we are able to’t commerce,” Dr. Obeng lamented throughout an interview on the Keypoints with Alfred Ocansey on Could 17.

“We can’t transact with our purchasers. In the meantime, these are the individuals we rely on for our day by day bread,” he stated.

Dr. Obeng emphasised the significance of West African regional integration and appealed to ECOWAS and the Ghanaian authorities to fast-track diplomatic efforts to stabilize the sub-region and restore commerce routes.

“The federal government should have interaction in diplomatic talks, as a result of these crises don’t simply have an effect on safety—they straight damage merchants and the Ghanaian financial system at massive,” he acknowledged.

Dr. Joseph Obeng additionally expressed issues over the continued encroachment by overseas nationals, particularly Chinese language merchants, into Ghana’s retail sector—an area he says is legally reserved for Ghanaians.

He known as on the Ghana Funding Promotion Centre (GIPC), the Ministry of Commerce, and different related establishments to strictly implement present funding legal guidelines.

“There are foreigners, significantly Chinese language, doing retail in our native markets, particularly within the Japanese Area. That’s in opposition to our legal guidelines,” he stated.

Dr. Obeng warned that failure to implement the GIPC Act, which reserves the retail sector for Ghanaians, will additional marginalize native merchants and have an effect on livelihoods.

He burdened that GUTA will not be in opposition to overseas funding however insists such investments have to be made inside the authorized framework.

“We’d like the federal government to step in. If the regulation exists, it should work,” he acknowledged.

The publish Stop blaming traders for high prices of goods – GUTA President first appeared on 3News.

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