The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has added its voice to calls on government to get Ghana’s neighbouring countries to also reopen their land borders, more than a week after President Akufo-Addo announced the reopening of Ghana’s land and sea borders

President Nana Akufo-Addo’s announcement of a reopening of Ghana’s land and sea borders, which was made during his 28th COVID-19 national address on March 28, as part of measures to ease the restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ghana’s land, sea and air borders had been closed since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago as part of measures to prevent the virus.

Some border communities in the country held demonstrations to demand the reopening of the land borders, suggesting that the closure was of no use as some persons continue to use the borders illegally.

A little over a week since Ghana reopened its Elubo and Aflao borders, checks by Citi Business News indicate that those of Ivory Coast and Togo were yet to be opened.

Speaking to Citi Business News on the situation, President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) Dr. Joseph Obeng noted that cross-border trading cannot return to pre-pandemic levels if Ghana’s borders are the only ones opened.

“We can’t open our borders in isolation. The other ECOWAS member states also need to do same. With our President being the ECOWAS head has a huge task to convince his counterparts to also open up their borders for business across the borders to start in earnest for all of us.”

“Africa has experienced a lot of diseases including COVID-19, the continent has and continues to experience poverty, and I can tell you that poverty is a bigger issue. So while we are trying to manage the pandemic, we also need to check steps that will worsen poverty in our societies,” he added.