China malls are too many in Ghana, they are taking over our markets – GUTA President cries to gov’t

The President of the Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA), Clement Boateng, has appealed to the government to address the growing presence of Chinese-owned shopping malls across the country, warning that their expansion is hurting indigenous businesses.

In a video shared by Edhub on X, Mr Boateng described the increasing number of Chinese shopping malls as one of the biggest challenges facing local traders, claiming that the outlets had taken more than 60% of the retail market.

“Our biggest challenge of late has been the proliferation of Chinese shopping malls, which is springing up all over the place now in every nook and cranny of this country,” he said.

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He questioned why the authorities were allowing the malls to expand across the country, arguing that their growing presence was making it increasingly difficult for Ghanaian traders to compete.

“When you go there, you'll find Chinese malls there and it beats my imagination as to why the authorities are allowing these Chinese to be putting up these Chinese malls,” Mr Boateng stated.

The GUTA president further claimed that the malls had taken more than 60% of the market share, leaving indigenous traders struggling to make sales.

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“Now they have taken our market share of over 60%, and that has resulted in the indigenous not making any sales when they go to the market,” he said.

His comments reflect concerns raised by the traders' association over the expansion of foreign-owned retail outlets and their impact on locally owned businesses.

Mr Boateng is urging the relevant authorities to examine the operations of the malls and assess their impact on Ghanaian traders. The 60% market share figure represents GUTA's estimate and has not been independently established.