We can’t open our borders in isolation – GUTA tells gov’t
President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) Dr. Joseph Obeng, has indicated that cross border trade cannot return to pre pandemic levels with Ghana’s border being the only one opened for trading.
His comment comes at the back of numerous calls to government by stakeholders to get Ghana’s neighbouring countries to also reopen their land borders.
President Nana Akufo-Addo’s announced the reopening of Ghana’s land and sea borders, during his 28th COVID-19 national address on March 28, as part of measures to ease the restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic after two years of closure.
“As from tomorrow, Monday, 28th March, all land and sea borders will be opened. Fully vaccinated travellers will be allowed entry through the land and sea borders without a negative PCR test result from the country of origin. Citizens and foreign residents in Ghana, who are not fully vaccinated, will have to produce a negative 48-hour PCR test result, and will be offered vaccination on arrival,” the President stated in his 28th televised Update on the COVID pandemic.
“Fellow Ghanaians, it has been a difficult two (2) years for all of us, and we are seeing light at the end of a very long tunnel. I appeal to all of us to live responsibly, protect ourselves at all times, and do everything we can to stay safe, as we lift these restrictions. Now is the time for all of us to join hands, work hard, and help put our nation back onto the path of progress and prosperity, as we resume full production and increase productivity,” the President added.
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A little over a week since Ghana reopened its Elubo and Aflao borders, checks indicate that those of Ivory Coast and Togo are yet to be opened.
The President of GUTA speaking on the situation, urged the President to use to his advantage the head of ECOWAS to convince other presidents to open their borders for business.
“We can’t open our borders in isolation. The other ECOWAS member states also need to do same. With our President being the ECOWAS head, he has a huge task to convince his counterparts to also open up their borders for business across the borders to start in earnest for all of us.”
“Africa has experienced a lot of diseases including COVID-19, the continent has and continues to experience poverty, and I can tell you that poverty is a bigger issue. So while we are trying to manage the pandemic, we also need to check steps that will not worsen poverty in our societies,” he added.
Ghana’s land, sea and air borders had been closed since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago as part of measures to prevent the virus.
Some border communities in the country held demonstrations to demand the reopening of the land borders, suggesting that the closure was of no use as some persons continue to use the borders illegally.
The closure of Ghana’s land borders was effected on Saturday, March 21 2020, at the onset of the Covid pandemic.
The closure of Ghana’s borders affected trading between Ghana and her three neighbouring countries: Togo (to the east), Burkina Faso (to the north) and la Côte d’Ivoire (to the west of the country), and the other countries in the region.
