Accra, Oct 19, GNA – Following an inconclusive meeting with the Council of State, and a directive from the president of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), members of the association in the Greater Accra Region have closed their shops to protest the current economic challenges.
When the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the parts of the Central Business District (CBD)and Abossey Okai Wednesday morning, shops belonging to GUTA members had been closed down.
Despite an engagement with members of the Council of State on Tuesday, October 18 to convince the association to rescind its decision, President of the Association, Dr Joseph Obeng said the protest had become necessary due to the high cost of doing business in recent times.
He said the continuous depreciation of the local currency on the exchange market and the high inflation rate had aggravated their plight.
“Our resolve to close down our shops is a distress call,” he said.
Currently, a dollar is selling a little over GHS13 at the forex bureaus.
The shops according to Dr Obeng would remain closed till Monday, October 24, 2022.
GUTA’s protest follows a similar action by the Adum Business Community which saw shops in Kumasi closing down for five days because of the implementation of tax policies concerning VAT.
GNA