The Member of Parliament for Bole Bamboi, Yusif Sulemana is urging government to find lasting solutions to the constant Ghanaian-Nigerian traders’ ruckus in Ghana, adding that Ghana cannot continue to pretend as if it wants to be in isolation, “the world has become a small community and we cannot do without each other in the African continent”, especially when we are praised for coming out with the African Continental Free Trade.
“When a basic thing like traders’ ruckus cannot be resolved, we are only pretending. Let’s all presidents in Africa be committed to ensuring that we have a single market among ourselves, that market we have been talking about”.
He pointed out in an interview that about one point three million people creating a market, with this kind of attitude, we would not get anywhere, and the ruckus among Nigerian and Ghanaian traders should not warrant a whole speaker of the House of Representative coming to Ghana, goes back months later then another delegation is coming, “what are we doing to ourselves? That is one question I keep asking myself”
As to whether he would raise the issue on the floor of the House when the House resumes on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 he said no, because in the 7th Parliament a petition came to the committee he belongs to, and there was a report on this but it was never tabled.
And pointed out that his side is not in the majority, it was the duty of the majority side to present the report because they were petitioned, but that report never saw the light of the day.
Again, there is lack of commitment on the side of the Government of Ghana last year because it was an election year. Government did not want to incur the rough of retail businessmen and women and we should not forget Nigeria forms a large market which we would want to tap into, he said.
He was quick to point out that he knows Nigeria has trade restrictions so as they have come to us, they should also be willing to relax some of their restrictions when it comes to trading with Ghanaians, then “we are able to trade among ourselves. Together we are able to better the lives of our people”.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghananmps.com
and so valuable that any country that embarks on democratic development, exposes itself to great danger if it doesn’t empower the media to be able to operate freely without hindrances,” he said.
“Then you would expect that kind of pressure from your constituents, and when they hear of the common fund they do not ask how much, it is just five percent, what goes to the Assemblies is ninety-five percent”.
