Today can report that, mobile phone dealers in the country are folding up their businesses as a result of the takeover of the business by Chinese nationals.
Today established that Mobile Zone company which is the franchise holder of TECNO phones has signed a contract with E-Gate Development Ghana with 49 and 51% shares ownership respectively to now distribute not only the TECNO phones, but two other phones brands, ITEL and INFINIX.
Our investigations further established that, the E-Gate is the manufacturing company for these products, and its only intention was to kick the local players out of business.
And as if that was not enough, another Chinese company, AROMA has also emerged to take up the distribution of accessories moving from shops to shops at a price far lesser or the same as the price given to them by the local business men.
The two companies were moving from shop to shop registering companies with codes to identify potential customers for direct distribution as against their Ghanaian competitor.
“Industry players are in fears that, since these companies are the manufacturing companies the local business men are likely to lose out of business if there is no intervention”, a source at Aroma company told Today.
“Interestingly, these companies are operating against the laws of Ghana that prohibit foreign investors to enter into direct distribution”, the source added.
The source alleged that the Chinese companies in collaboration with some faceless businessmen have devised strategies of operating under the disguise of a Ghanaian partner, to the detriment of local distributors.
Meanwhile, Today gathered that there are currently about 25 Chinese nationals in Ghana at the company’s Head office at the Darkoman Junction, a suburb of Accra with the Human Resource Manager also being a Chinese national.
In an interview with Today some traders in mobile phone business who who spoke on conditions of anonymity, expressed dissatisfaction at the development.
They subsequently appealed to the appropriate authorities to, as a matter of urgency do something about the situation.
“We call on President Nana Akufo-Addo to intervene on our behalf since enhancing and protecting local businesses in the country is one of his priorities”, the traders further appealed.
According to them, anything short of that would completely push local distributors out of business and create a situation of unemployment which will retard the progress of the nation.
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