Tensions are rising in Ghana’s trading community as the Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA) throws its weight behind the country’s used clothing dealers in a growing standoff that could spill into nationwide protests.
The latest development follows a strike action declared on Thursday by the Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association. The strike is a direct response to what the group describes as a series of defamatory statements and publications from the OR Foundation, an organization that has consistently been critical of the secondhand clothing trade in Ghana and its impact on the environment.
Speaking at a press briefing on April 10, GUTA President Dr. Joseph Obeng made it clear that the union won’t sit idle while what he called “coordinated efforts” attempt to discredit an industry that employs thousands and keeps Ghana’s informal economy moving.
“We are calling for accountability. We demand a forensic audit into these activities, and we call on the Attorney General’s Department and the Ministry of the Interior to act,” Dr. Obeng said.
According to him, the emergence of a “fraudulent grouping” within the sector is creating needless division among traders, threatening not only economic stability but also national security.
“The division among traders is concerning, and if care is not taken, it could result in major conflict, which we are determined to avoid.”
Dr. Obeng stressed that GUTA is not opposed to dialogue or reform, but any effort to regulate or reshape the secondhand clothing trade must be done transparently and with the involvement of all stakeholders. The current approach, he argues, is sowing discontent and distrust, and could backfire badly.
And if the government fails to act, the union says it would “call for a nationwide demonstration. That will not benefit anyone, as it would mean all sectors of trade joining us in supporting our brothers and sisters in the secondhand clothing industry.”
