Accra: The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has challenged claims of widespread foreign infiltration of Ghana's retail market. She attributed the perceived dominance of foreigners to the practice of fronting, where Ghanaian citizens operate businesses on behalf of foreign traders.
According to Ghana Web, the Minister, while speaking at the Government Accountability Series on January 21, 2026, stated that claims suggesting foreigners controlled about 70 percent of the retail sector lacked factual basis. These claims were inconsistent with her observations during market visits across the country. She asserted that there was no scientific evidence to support the notion that foreigners were responsible for such a large share of the retail markets.
Under Section 27 of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act, 2013 (Act 865), certain sectors including petty trading, market operations, and small-scale taxi services are reserved exclusively for citizens. This is intended to protect local livelihoods and promote indigenous entrepreneurship. Ofosu-Adjare emphasized that the issue was not an influx of foreign retailers, but rather the tendency of Ghanaians to register businesses in their own names and operate as fronts for foreign owners.
The Minister further explained that enforcement efforts were hindered by the lack of evidence, as businesses legally registered under Ghanaian names and operated by Ghanaians could not be sanctioned. She highlighted the difficulty in taking legal action against such entities due to the absence of concrete evidence showing foreign ownership.
Ofosu-Adjare urged Ghanaians to refrain from facilitating foreign participation in the reserved retail sector, suggesting that foreigners operating openly without local fronts could be easily identified and dealt with. She called on citizens to allow foreigners to enter the market openly, which would enable authorities to take appropriate actions when necessary.