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Shops remained closed as GUTA members continue protest

Most members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) still have their shops closed to signal the need for the government to end the high cost of doing business in the country.

Checks yesterday at Circle, Kaneshie, Abossey Okai and the Accra Central Business District (CBD) showed that middlemen, hawkers and petty traders were left to attend to shoppers.

Meanwhile GUTA has indicated that shops of members would be reopened on Monday October 24, 2022.

Between 11:30 am and 1pm when the Ghanaian Times visited these places, the closed shops had either members selling in front of their own closed shops or petty traders selling in front of them.

Other shops which were partially closed had middlemen selling some of the items on the streets.

Mr Adom Adigbo, a middleman at Rawlings Park, CBD, said he could not afford to stay back home despite the closure of shops because he had a family to feed.

He stated that though necessary, he felt the action was not the right way to get their grievances addressed. 

A shop owner at Circle, Naa Adorkor similarly said closing shops could not solve the present economic challenges being faced in the country.

What was required, she said was for the government to stop the depreciating cedi to stabilise businesses.

A shop attendant, Hayford Agyei at Odorkor who sat in front of his closed shop said it was a step in the right direction for shops to be closed by members to signal a sense of urgency to the government.

He underscored his belief that more stringent measures would be put in place to register their displeasure after Monday if the government failed to do anything about the situation.

Meanwhile at Kaneshie, a trader who gave his name only as Kwasi Boat said he would have expected imported and exporters to halt business to show how serious the matter was.

As a part time spare parts dealer, he said he could hardly import some of his goods because of the rise in the dollar rate.

“Inflation will not leave us too. The government really has to end this economic turbulence. Things are really getting out of hand,” he added.

BY ABIGAIL ARTHUR

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