Oluwatosin Moore is a Nigerian business woman in Ghana. She has been in Ghana for over five years and according to her things are not as good as they used to be. In this interview with ADEDAYO EMMANUEL, she narrates what Nigerian business community in Ghana is facing at the heels of recent border closure. She however advised Nigerians in Ghana to obey the laws of the land and be good ambassadors. She also compares Nigerian economy with that of Ghana’s and submitted that the Ghanaian economy is dependent on Nigeria’s. Excerpts:
What has been the experience in Ghana after the border closure?
It has not been easy especially for Nigerians in Ghana. This is because Ghana is heavy on importation. They do export too but their import is higher than export. So majority of what we have in Ghana are Nigerian made. 90% of their goods are made in Nigeria. So since the border closure businesses have been affected. My business is also affected because I sell goods made in Nigeria. So we have to get back our goods and some are even stuck at the border. The other time I learnt from BBC that some goods were stolen because they was no protection for them because it was not from the country. Also because there is no protection for the drivers. It is really affecting the companies because they have to refund. It is either you register the goods with the company through courier or you just pay the driver. So if you pay the driver and did not register the goods, if it is stolen it is problem for the driver. But if it is registered with the courier company and it gets stolen at the border the company would refund or compensate the owner if it is stolen. Nigerians are the ones now suffering the border closure because they now close Nigerian shops. They closed 40 shops on Monday, they closed others on Tuesday numbering over 40 and today is Thursday I don’t know how much they are still going to close. Nigerians are stuck right now. Generally Ghanaians don’t like Nigerians, they feel inferior because they don’t do the business we do. They don’t do the business like we do, they are not business oriented and they don’t take risk the way we do.
What do you sell?
I run a salon and a mini provision supermarket. I import hair extension, slippers from Nigeria. I also export soap from Ghana. They have a kind of soap white garment churches in Nigeria use.
What has been the experience after the border closure?
It has not been easy especially for we Nigerians. Ghana is an importing country, the majority of Ghanaian goods are imported.
So it means there are hundreds of shops run by Nigerians in Ghana?
A particular Nigerian may have four shops. I’m a Nigerian running a salon and I still run a supermarket. I still carry loads from Ghana to Nigeria and bring things from Nigeria to sell in Ghana. I sell Alata soap; that is what I take to Nigeria. It is 1.5 Cedi here in Nigeria and in Nigeria I sell it N500. I bring in hair extension, I buy slippers, wig, slippers, make up materials.
Don’t they make slippers in Ghana?
They make but they are very expensive and they don’t last. They don’t have factories that make hair materials; they import from Nigeria. The only hair extension they have are from Nigeria. Wigs, Indomie noodles are from Nigeria. The ones they have are different from what we have in Nigeria. Nigerian noodles are better. When you want to buy Malta Guinness and Vitamilk they are specific about what they want to buy. A customer can say he wants Nigeria one because it is of better quality than the ones they make in Ghana or he can say he wants Ghanaian made because the Nigerian one may be too hard. They try to reduce content that can harm Ghanaians. So they sometimes ask for the ones made for Ghana.
Does it mean their economy is depending on Nigeria?
Ghana depends on Nigeria. They even say Ghanaians need Nigerians more than how we Nigerians need them. Do you know how much a major transporter here is losing per day on the border closure? He has more than 111 drivers. He is losing 2 million Cedi weekly.
Are there places to sell those goods now if those drivers come back?
There is no place to sell the goods. They are at a loss. If the goods are perishable, it is a different thing. I know a man called Alabi who brings in fish from Nigeria. The last time I talked with him he said his goods are stuck. They don’t have fish in Ghana. There are times I bring fish and it takes one or two weeks. They bring in fish chicken tomato. They bring tomatoes from Cameroon, Burkina Faso and that is why tomatoes are expensive in Ghana. One tomato is 1 Cedi or 1.5 Cedi, that is about N100 or N150.
So how are the Ghanaians coping with the border closure?
The consumers are not getting what they need because they depend on foreign products.
What of the other illegal borders?
They would be smuggling through the bush but the big trailers can’t move in. They can only use labourers to be offloading in the night and you can’t trust people at the border. I’m very sure if I go to the market I can’t get things the way we used to get them. Imagine a family trying to cook soup, how many tomatoes will they need now that one tomatoes in Ghana is 1 Cedi? They don’t eat too much of vegetables they take more stew. They are transferring the aggression on us. They even said it is still 31st January before they can discuss the border issues. That was what we heard when their delegates went to Nigeria. The way we are looking at it they may send Nigerians away from Ghana. The funny thing is that it is bouncing back on them too. Nigerians and Chinese dominate the market in Ghana; any shop you see is likely owned by Nigerians or Chinese but the workers are Ghanaians. Now when they close the shops the Ghanaians are automatically out of job. Go to Circle, it is Nigerians that dominate the market and that is why you see them fighting us every week. Even in the house rent, it is difficult to get accommodation as a Nigerian. The house I live in before is owned by a Liberian, if not, it would be difficult. But if they would rent house to you a Nigerian, they will take one year rent to watch your character. They have been sending Nigerians away from Circle even before border closure. If you go to a typical Ghanaian to rent house they won’t give you. If the house is 50 Cedi they will give you for 150 Cedi because you are a Nigerian. Where I stayed before, I paid 70 Cedi. They don’t do agreement or commission like Nigeria. A self contain goes for 150 Cedi to 200 Cedi
How much is a small bottle of coke?
A small bottle of coke goes for C2.5. A bag of pure water is C3.50. A unit of bottled water is C3, but if you buy from a hotel it is C10cedi. They sell phones, but the phones come from Nigeria. Laptops, phone accessories, all come from Nigeria. What they have is cocoa.
How do you advise Nigerians in Ghana at this time?
Some Nigerians are not good people. They paint us black. I brought a Nigerian to work here in a pure water company, he stole their things. I was in Nigeria for a project then and when I returned I learnt he stole. This is a person that earned N40,000 a month. Ghanaians are lazy, they don’t do heavy work like Nigerians.
Why are they closing Nigerian shops? Is it that they are not paying taxes?
You can’t operate in Ghana and escape tax, not in Ghana. Everything you buy, you must pay tax. You buy recharge card or bottled water, you must pay tax. Any good you bring in from Nigeria is taxed. Even ordinary spoon, you pay tax. You can’t find any drink without the tax seal on it. You can’t escape tax in Ghana. So it is not about tax.
I am advising that Nigerians should be patient and careful; they should not paint Nigeria black. They should do things right. They are closing Nigerians shops now and they may take over those shops. There is no point stocking your shops with millions and one day it is locked. They should prevent what happened in South Africa from happening in Ghana because the way things are going it must be stopped before it happens. A lot of Nigerians don’t have their permits and this is wrong. Nigerians should invest at home you can’t trust Ghana at this time.
