The Minister of Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare has accused Ghanaians of acting as enablers of foreigners illegally operating in the country’s retail sector. 

Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday [Jan 21, 2026], the Minister stated that this practice of fronting is the primary enabler of foreign infiltration into a market legally reserved for Ghanaians.

“The ministry is aware that there is the presence of foreigners in the retail trade, but that is because Ghanaians front for them,” the Minister declared. She challenged the foreign nationals involved to step out from behind their local proxies', asserting, “Let them come with their face and we will deal with them.”

Her comment at the Government’s Accountability Series press briefing highlights a persistent and contentious issue in Ghana’s business landscape.

The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act, 2013 (Act 865) explicitly reserves the operation of certain businesses, including many in the retail sector, exclusively for Ghanaians. 

Foreigners are prohibited from engaging in petty trading, selling in markets, hawking, or running retail shops unless they meet a high minimum capital threshold and employ a significant number of Ghanaians.

However, enforcement has been a longstanding challenge, with widespread reports of foreign nationals, particularly from Asia and other African countries, operating retail businesses using Ghanaian partners in name only.

The Minister’s statement shifts significant blame onto Ghanaian collaborators, suggesting that without local facilitation, the breach of the law would be far less pervasive. 

Her remark, “let them come with their face,” underscores the ministry’s position that the current problem is fueled by concealment and deception.

“The law is clear. The retail space is for Ghanaians,” the Minister reiterated during her presentation. She indicated that the ministry, in collaboration with regulatory bodies like the GIPC and Ghana Immigration Service, is intensifying efforts to identify and sanction both the foreign principals and their Ghanaian fronts.