…As 9mobile partners Girl Effect, iSON to empower girls***
Nigerian traders at the Suame Magazine in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region have allegedly been attacked by Ghanaians, who vowed to evict foreigners from the market.
Leaders of the Nigerian retailers at the Suame Magazine say their members are living in fear following what they call incessant attacks on them, reports Citinewsroom.
They accused local retailers and the Ghana Union Traders Association of targeting its members and forcefully evicting them from their shops.
Speaking with Citinewsroom, an executive member of the Nigerian retailers Association, Victor Moname, threatened reprisals if the local retailers continue to harass their members.
He said the Ashanti Regional Police Commander deployed some of his personnel to the area to forestall such occurrences but the attacks persist.
“The Ashanti Regional Police Commander told us that the Nigeria High Commission had called him over the same issue.
He said he had sent a police patrol team to Suame Magazine, Kumasi.
But when some of our people open their shops, some boys jumped on them again including some of the GUTA executives.
“Some of their items got broken because when the boys come and ask you to close your shop, and you refuse, they destroy your things.
So that was the reason why when they came to tell us to close the shops, we obliged because they are many.
They are up to 50, and you can’t identify all of them. They don’t even have shops in Magazine.
Moname said currently all the Nigerian retailers at Suame Magazine had closed our shops including all our workers because they are afraid.
The Ghanaian government ordered non-Ghanaians in retail trade to leave their markets by July 27, 2018, or face the wrath of the government.
Even though the Ministry of Trade and Industry threatened legal action against stubborn foreigners, it later rescinded its decision, citing inadequate sensitization as the reason for the suspension.
In the meantime, 9mobile has reiterated its commitment to the development and empowerment of the girl-child by partnering with Girl Effect, a not-for-profit, and iSON Group, an IT company, to facilitate delivery of a unique service that enables girls to listen to pre-recorded inspiring stories on their mobile phones and then connect to a specially trained role model who provides answers to their questions.
Tagged Girls Connect, this initiative is a pioneering partnership created by Girl Effect – a Non-governmental organisation (NGO) that uses media and mobile technology to empower girls, and IT company, iSON Group.
Together they developed the innovative service that enables girls to draw inspiration using an interactive voice response platform on their mobile phones, and also learn more from qualified women that talk through the stories they have heard to make them more meaningful to the girls’ lives.
With 9mobile’s support for the initiative, girls and young female adults will be able to access on-the-go and free of charge, information that can enhance their economic wellbeing, state of health and wellness as they interact with the specially-trained role models on their mobile phones.
Speaking at the launch of the initiative in Kano on Tuesday, July 24, the Chief Human Resource Officer, 9mobile, Abigail Isokpan, said the partnership was borne out of the telecom company’s passion for development of its customers, host communities, and indeed Nigeria.
“We are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to create value; and one of the ways we are achieving this is by aligning our business agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Guardian NG
