Tumu , the Municipal capital of the Sisaala East District in the Upper West Region of Ghana experienced what can be termed as ' traders invasion from from Burkina Faso' . Traders from Leo, one of the biggest northern cities in Burkina Faso visited the Tumu market to buy almost all food stuff at the Tumu market , with the high demand of food commodities , forced prices of the food commodities to jump more than 100% .
According to local traders from the Ghanaian side, the withdrawal of trading activities from the Leo market caused the ' traders invasion from from Burkina Faso'.
Complaints of extortion of Ghanaian traders by their Burkinafaso security led to a temporary withdrawal of trading from the Ghanaian side. Madam Lardi Ruth who buys yam at Twenty Ghana Cedis every week at the Tumu market speaking to Radford FM in Tumu said , “I had to add extra money to buy what I normally buy”
A custom transport agent based in Tumu Mr. Ajawo Mahmoud told RadfordFM in Tumu a week after the boycott that “I expect the boycott to be extended so that the market could be arranged to benefit Ghanaian.’
The Ghana Road Transport Union branch in Tumu with support from the Chiefs announced last week a boycott not to do business with Ghana’s Northern neighbor of Leo in Burkina Faso starting 6th October, 2021.
The action is expected to last for two weeks.
In a statement issued on Tuesday 5th October, 2021 by the Chairman of the GPRTU in Tumu, Alhaji Mahama Senjeh, the decision was reached after consultation with the business community from both the area and other traders from other regions of Ghana notably Techiman, Bono,Ahafo ,Wenchi and others.
“We have told the Police and the Paramount Chief of the area Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton |V of acts of extortion suffered by the Ghanaian business community in the hands of the security who will not listen to any explanation hence our decision to boycott the Leo market for the next two weeks”
The GPRTU chairman said “it is his hope the truck loads of goods and services that move in weekly through Tumu will all stay away from the Leo market to see whether we need each other or not”.
Over forty truck loads of goods and services use the Tumu border post weekly to transact cross-border businesses but the recent increase in taxes on goods and the accompanying disturbances by the Burkinafaso security on the Leo border has left many Ghanaians traders disappointed.
Leo is a commercial market center which market day starts from Wednesday to Saturday every week which is largely patronized by Ghanaian traders, is a distance of 18km from Tumu in Ghana.
Source: Info Radio &
Radford FM