ABUJA—SUCCOUR has come the way of Nigerian business community in Ghana following the intervention of Deputy Senate President and former Speaker of Parliament of Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Ike Ekweremadu. Ekweremadu Against this backdrop, the government of the West African nation has promised to reconsider its policy on foreign businesses, which led to the sealing of over 400 Nigerian-owned shops in Ashanti Region of the country.

Ekweremadu gave the indication on his Facebook page, @iamekweremadu, yesterday, following discussions with Regional Minister of Ashanti Region, Simon Osei-Mensah. According to Ekweremadu, the freedom of the peoples of the sub-region to ply their trades in any part of West Africa was central to the prosperity of ECOWAS. Reacting to the development on his Facebook page, Ekweremadu said: “I spoke with the Regional Minister of Ashanti, Ghana, my brother and former Deputy at ECOWAS Parliament, Hon. Simon Osei-Mensah, over the weekend on the pains of the Nigerian business community in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, on the sealing of over 400 Nigerian-owned shops in Ghana, especially in Kumasi. “Osei-Mensah assured me of the safety of Nigerian businesses and people in Ghana, noting that he would personally take up the matter with the authorities to ensure that the shops were reopened immediately.” “Nigeria and Ghana have come a long way and it is my hope that we will continue to nurture this relationship for the mutual benefits of our respective countries. “Meanwhile, I am in touch with the Nigerian business community in Ghana, including the National President, Nigerian Union of Traders Associations, Ghana, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nnaji, and have urged them to remain calm, law-abiding, and continue to live in peace with their hosts in the spirit of African and ECOWAS brotherhood”.