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The leadership and members of the National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS), and the Nigeria Union of Traders Association, Ghana (NUTAG) have written to President Goodluck Jonathan over renewed threats and intimidation of Nigerian traders in Ghana. The Unions in a letter dated March 28, 2012, a copy of it made available to Business Day, recalled that the Ghanaian government had over two years ago dusted a law �the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Foreign Investment Act 1994 (Act 478), which specifically directed that �foreigners� (including Nigerians) willing to trade in Ghana, must register such business with minimum required capital of $300,000 (amounting to about N46 million) or its equity. The law also directs that such businesses are not allowed to operate within the main business designated streets in town for these �foreigners� as such places are wholly reserved for Ghanaian citizens only , in addition to several other conditions. The Unions had also on September 13, 2010 written to the ECOWAS Commission, seeking intervention on the same issue. They had pointed out that the inclusion of Nigerian nationals or any other West African nationals in Ghana�s definition of �foreigners or foreign investors� runs contrary to the spirit and intent of regional integration, as enshrined in the Treaty of ECOWAS, the Protocols on Free Movement, ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, among others. The letter to President Jonathan reads in part: �We recall that for this reason, many businesses belonging to Nigerians were shut down by the Ghanaian authorities, with the use of intimidation and harassment, resulting in untold losses and unquantifiable hardship to some Nigerian traders. We however note that were it not for Your Excellency�s wise intervention, the peak of the ill-treatments was almost leading to diplomatic rancour between the two important West African countries. May we further recall, Your Excellency, that apart from direct discussions with your Ghanaian counterpart, you had also directed your Honourable Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Investment, as well as the Nigerian Ambassador in Ghana, to bring the full weight of government�s intervention on the subject matter. Indeed, the outcome was the setting up of a bi-national Committee that came up with a bilateral Agreement for signing between the two countries.� The letter signed by Ken Ukaoha, president, NANTS, and Jasper Emenike, secretary- general, NUTAG was copied to the President, ECOWAS Commission, the Speaker, ECOWAS Parliament, the Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Trade & Investment, Nigeria High Commissioner to Ghana, Ghanaian High Commissioner to Nigeria, the Chairman, House Committee on the Diaspora, the Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Media. Unfortunately, according to the unions �a couple of months after the temporary agreement, a four-month ultimatum has recently been issued by the Government of Ghana, specifically directed to all Nigerian citizens doing business in Ghana �that is, between the months of February to June 2012 to immediately comply with the same local law or have their businesses closed down by the Government.� This resolution was personally handed down to Nigerians by the Ghanaian Minister of Trade and Industry Hanah Tetteh, during a recent National broadcast following an exclusive meeting with the Special Task Force comprising relevant Organs/Agencies of the Government made up of the Ghana Immigration Service, Customs Unit, Association of Ghanaian Industries, Ghana Union of Traders Association, etc. These agencies are expected to serve as the enforcement unit of the host Government. About 75 percent of Nigerian businesses in Ghana are small and medium scale enterprises and clearly lack the capacity to muster $300, 000 as investment capital.