Traders Make Quick Cash

Petty traders and hawkers have virtually taken over the areas immediately around the State House doing brisk business, as hundreds of thousands of people troop in to catch a glimpse of the corpse of former President John Evans Atta Mills.

Hawkers could be seen selling all sorts of assorted foodstuff, snacks, packaged water and other drinks to quench the thirst and hunger of visitors.

Some bold butchers had even gone ahead to set up khebab grills along the street leading to the State House, while some mini food joints were also springing up to cash in on the multitude of crowd flocking to the Banquet Hall to pay their last respects to the late president.

Some quick-witted traders had designed all sorts of funeral paraphernalia and could be spotted within the grounds of the State House trading.

Traditional praise singers were also not left out of the show, as several of them flooded the atmosphere with their rhythmic drumming as they patronised mourners in return for tips.

According to Alhassan Ibrahim, a khebab vendor at the State House who spoke to DAILY GUIDE , the convergence of thousands of people from all over the country was good for cash.

Incidentally, the Funeral Planning Committee left out plans of providing official outlets for the sale of snacks to replenish mourners who stand in several kilometer-long queues as they awaited their turns to be ushered into the Banquet Hall to file past the body of ex-President Mills.

Traders and hawkers told DAILY GUIDE that the funeral had really given them the opportunity to make some decent profits. According to a trader, the nature of the crowd gave an impression that the whole of Ghana had converged on the State House.

The hawker of biscuits said she had been making as much as GH¢20 a day since mourners of the late president started convening on Wednesday and Thursday to pay their last respects.

By Raphael Adeniran