This is obviously not the
best of times for Nigerian retailers and shop owners plying their trade in African
countries.
Last year, Nigerian
retailers and petty traders were asked to close shop in Ghana because petty
trading by Ghanaian law is reserved for Ghanaians.
Well, this time around the
government of Zimbabwe is set to arrest Nigerian and Chinese retailers unless
they close shop by the end of the year.
According to a report by newzimbabwe.com, the Permanent secretary for Zimbabwe’s empowerment ministry, George
Magosvongwe, told a Parliamentary committee that the government would enforce
regulations which reserve certain sectors of the economy to Zimbabweans on January
1, 2014.
Under the country’s economic
empowerment legislation, areas reserved for locals include retail and wholesale
businesses, barbershops, hairdressings, beauty salons, bakeries, employment
agencies and grain milling, among others.
“I confirm that some non-indigenous entities are still operating in the
reserved sectors and there is a deadline for January 1 for them to comply with
the requirement to relinguish their holdings in that sector,” Magosvongwe
said.
“You will realise Mr Chairman that 1 January is a month to come and we
are putting in place measures for enforcement in the event that they do not
comply.”
He said the ministry was
preparing measures to ensure the exit of foreigners from the retail sector
would not result in shortages.
“There is need to ensure that we don’t create shortages in the economy,
but certainly the ministry is going to enforce the reserved sectors rule,”
he said.
“And we will bring in the enforcement agencies from right across the
Government departments and the local authorities to ensure that enforcement
happens.”
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