Nigerian Traders and Shop Owners To Be Chased Out Of Zimbabwe Come Jan 1 2014

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.”