Janet Ogundepo writes about the lives and businesses of Nigerians living in Ghana and how they fare amid government policies. On a beautiful evening at the bustling Nkrumah Circle in Accra’s Greater Accra Region, the reporter walked through an area famed for the sale and repair of gadgets. Nkrumah Circle, one of Accra’s six traffic interchanges, is named after Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, whose towering statue—hand raised in solidarity—stands in an elaborate water‑fountain park. The site is the city’s central hub of everyday hustle, often compared to Lagos’s Computer Village, and it is typically the first place visitors are directed to when looking for Nigerian traders. Nigerians also populate other popular Accra markets such as Madina, Makola, and Tema. A focused search led the reporter to a busy lane called Odo Rice and a street named Tip Toe Lane, where numerous stalls displayed phone and laptop accessories, though none bore a distinctly Nigerian name. The search ended when a cluster of three men speaking Igbo was spotted at the far end of Tip Toe Lane.
Mr. Innocent Benjamin, an importer and retailer of phone and laptop gadgets from Ebonyi State, sat on a plastic stool outside his office on Tip Toe Lane, Odo Rice. He is married to a Ghanaian and left Akure, Ondo State—where he had spent 14 years trading nylon and stationery—after the Chinese company he worked for as a wholesaler moved its operations to Ghana. “I’ve been in Ghana since 2016. I arrived seven days before the 2016 presidential election,” he said. Benjamin praised Ghana’s weather, security, and business environment, noting that, aside from challenges posed by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act, Nigerian traders who operate legally and pay taxes are not harassed by trade unions or officials. He explained that some Nigerian‑owned shops were locked for over a year, but reopened after owners presented documents to the Ministry of Trade. He added that price competition fuels tension between Nigerian and Ghanaian traders, as Nigerians purchase goods in bulk and can sell at lower prices. Benjamin lamented the lack of government support during crises, recalling a 2022 flood that destroyed his and others’ stock without any aid. “The goods are now financed by loans, and we keep paying interest,” he said. “We pay taxes, yet we receive no assistance in emergencies.”
Another Nigerian retailer, identified only as Onyeaka, greeted the reporter with “We are happy to escape!” He arrived in Ghana in 2015 to study at Zenith University, Labadi, but dropped out due to financial strain. Onyeaka confirmed that, although Nigeria was exempted from the GIPC Act, Ghanaian traders resisted the decision, creating controversy. He recounted shop closures in December 2020, some of which were only reopened after document verification in November 2022. “Nigerian traders are no longer as numerous or strong as before,” he said, expressing concern over ongoing disturbances despite official exemptions. He hopes to return to university someday, perhaps in another country.
Nigerian traders acknowledge that Nigeria’s large market facilitates rapid sales, yet basic amenities and rising inflation deter a return home. Migration between Nigeria and Ghana dates back to Ghana’s independence. According to The World Factbook, Ghana attracted labor migrants from Nigeria and neighboring countries in the 1960s, with immigrants comprising about 12 % of the population in 1960. Economic downturns in the late 1960s and 1970s, however, led to expulsions and a shift toward emigration, initially to Côte d’Ivoire and later to Nigeria’s oil sector. By 2019, Ghana’s Foreigner Identification Management System recorded residents from 167 countries, including an estimated 77 000 Nigerians (50 329 men and 26 632 women) in 2021.
The GIPC Act of 2013 requires non‑citizens to invest at least $1 million in cash, goods, or services to engage in trading enterprises. Its implementation led to the closure of over 600 Nigerian shops in December 2019, as traders were asked to meet the $1 million foreign equity requirement for registration. Emeka Nnaji, president of the Nigerian Union of Traders in Ghana (NUTG), described the closures as a recurring hardship. Despite both countries being ECOWAS members, the Ghanaian Minister of Information, Kojo Nkrumah, defended the levy, citing reciprocal restrictions by Nigeria and alleged violations of trade laws by both Ghanaians and foreigners. In August 2020, Nigeria’s Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, visited Ghana for “legislative diplomacy.” Following the visit, Ghana’s President Akufo‑Addo expressed openness to a joint Ghana‑Nigeria Business Council to oversee trade and investment matters. A joint communiqué called for measures to support law‑abiding traders, especially amid the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Nevertheless, on 11 November 2020, the Nigerian Union of Traders Association in Ghana submitted a “save our souls” letter to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, requesting the peaceful evacuation of 753 members whose shops had been locked for nearly a year. The letter cited harassment, intimidation, threats to life, and the inability to pay rent for shuttered premises. Mrs Abike Dabiri‑Erewa, chair of the commission, promised to engage stakeholders and lamented the violation of ECOWAS free‑movement protocols.
ECOWAS, established in 1975, aims to facilitate free trade and movement within West Africa. The 1979 protocol intended to turn borders into “bridges,” but research by Okunade and Ogunnubi shows that many member states still restrict economic activities of fellow citizens, leading to the creation of the ECOWAS Court in 2001. Persistent political instability, border disputes, and reluctance to cede sovereignty have limited the protocol’s effectiveness.
On the ground, Nigerian traders experience mixed sentiments. Mrs Blessing Blessed, a mother of two and phone‑accessory dealer at Madina Market, attributes the “unfavourable atmosphere” between Ghanaian and Nigerian traders to perceived discrimination. Yet she credits her marketing skills for her business’s resilience, despite higher living costs and exchange‑rate pressures.
Economic hardship and unemployment drive many Nigerians to seek “greener pastures” abroad—a phenomenon known as “Japa.” A 2018 Pew Research Centre survey found that 45 % of Nigerian adults planned to migrate within five years; the rate has since surged. Blessing Matthias, a retail clothier, moved to Ghana after a Facebook friend from Edo State invited her to work there. After a brief, unpaid stint in a bar, she returned to Accra, eventually establishing a shop selling male underwear. She notes that compliance with trading laws allows non‑Ghanaians to operate, though Nigerian traders often face discrimination despite their market savvy.
Nnaji of the NUTG argues that the $1 million capital requirement unfairly impacts Nigerians, violating ECOWAS provisions that guarantee equal treatment for West African nationals. He explains that registration fees amount to $5 000 (0.5 % of the required capital), a substantial sum for many traders. While the requirement to employ 20 Ghanaians was resolved three years ago, shop closures persisted until the Nigerian government’s 2021 intervention, which allowed businesses registered before 2020 to reopen. Some shops remain closed, but others have resumed operations.
Joseph Obeng, president of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), acknowledges that Nigerians constitute about 85 % of West African traders in Ghana, leading to perceptions of targeting. He notes that traders who can produce proper documentation and sell goods not originating from Nigeria have been granted special dispensation. The task force has focused on mobile, electrical, and spare‑parts dealers, but many traders still lack the necessary paperwork.
Overall, while Nigerian traders in Ghana face regulatory hurdles, competition, and occasional discrimination, many continue to thrive thanks to Ghana’s relative stability, reliable electricity, and market opportunities—advantages they often lack in Nigeria.
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