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Following the four-day strike carried out by members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) to close down their shops and stores in protest against foreigners who were violating the trading law that restrict foreigners from engaging in retail businesses, the Ministry of Trade and Industry has backed the call to close all retail shops by setting up a 13 member taskforce in Kumasi and Accra. Hon. Haruna Iddrisu at a press conference said Ghana�s law recognizes and respects the rights of Ghanaian traders to have unfettered opportunity and access to the retail businesses in Ghana as stated in Act 865, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act, 2013. He assured that the Ministry of Trade and Industry will uphold and enforce the provision of the law that reserves the right of sales of goods and provision of service in the market, petty trading, hawking and selling of goods in stores exclusively to Ghanaians. �We want to strongly uphold and enforce the provision of the law in accordance with Act 865, the Ghana Investment and Promotion Centre Act, 2013��and accordingly, Ghanaian law does not permit that a non-Ghanaian or non-citizen to engage in business of retail trading within Ghanaian market. The essence of this press briefing is to indicate that MOTI will soon dispatch to the various markets across the country a 13 member taskforce to be constituted by major institutions and others to do selected visits into the markets to ensure that the law is not infringe upon�, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu assured. Speaking to Peacefmonline.com later in an interview on the sector minister�s assurance of his preparedness to clamp down on retail trading by foreigners in the country, the President of GUTA, Mr. George Kwasi Ofori commended government for setting a taskforce to ensure full protection of GUTA. He however hoped the taskforce will start its operations very soon and further warned Ghanaian shop-owners to stop aiding and abetting foreigners to secure shops to engage in retail trade. �As GUTA is part of the taskforce, we will not sit idly by but will ensure that we do not relent in our efforts to allow things to deteriorate as it has happened in the past. For now, we will sit up and protect our retail businesses and if my members will not be serious with this force, then it is up to them. Through our request, government has taken off the 17.5 percent tax and now our action has compelled the Minister to come out to tell Ghanaians and the world that no foreigner has any right to do retail trading; it is also against the law for any Ghanaian to aid and abet foreigners to secure stores and shops to engage in retail businesses in Ghana�, he pontificated.