The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has cautioned against renewed calls to clamp down on foreign participation in Ghana’s retail trade, arguing that enforcement remains challenging as long as Ghanaians continue to front for foreign operators.

Her comments come amid ongoing public debate over the enforcement of laws that restrict foreign involvement in the country’s retail sector.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, Madam Ofosu-Adjare rejected claims that foreigners dominate Ghana’s retail market, insisting such assertions are not supported by facts on the ground.

“I can say for sure, without any scientific basis, that foreigners are not responsible for 70 per cent of our retail market. I don’t need rocket science; I only need to go to the market and see how many shops are being manned by foreigners,” she said.

While acknowledging that some foreigners may be engaged in retail trading, the Minister noted that many operate through Ghanaian fronts, making effective regulatory action difficult.

“I would not deny that there may be a few foreigners in the retail trade. But even those in the space are being fronted by local people. When you enter the shop, you see a Ghanaian sitting there,” she explained.

She added that ownership structures often conceal the true beneficiaries of such businesses, even in official records.

“How do you justify closing a shop on the basis that it does not belong to a Ghanaian when it is being manned by a Ghanaian? Even at the Registrar-General’s Authority, the name of that shop is Ghanaian,” she said.

Madam Ofosu-Adjare stressed that meaningful enforcement would require a change in behaviour among local business owners who enable foreign participation in restricted sectors.

“If Ghanaians truly do not want foreigners in the retail space, we can identify them and remove them. But as long as we front for them and register businesses on their behalf, there is very little anyone can do,” she added.