Market Women: The Unsung Heroines Of The Ghanaian Economy

Abena (not real name) sells foodstuffs at the Kaneshie market in Accra.

For the most part of the week, Abena is seen busy selling at the market under the scorching sun, and sometimes vulnerable to rainfall, which at times comes with catastrophic effects.

She sometimes gets home from the market very late and compelled to wake up at dawn to prepare herself for market the following day.

Through that, Abena is able to cater for her children's education, health and general well-being, and also helping to contribute to the national economy, however intangible her efforts may seem.

“This is the business my mother left for me and it is something I have grown to love. I love trading,” she says.

Like Abena, thousands of Ghanaian women who constitute the majority of the informal sector, go through similar conditions on daily basis as they engage in trading activities across the various markets in the country.

Some market women are arguably the breadwinners of their families and without them their households are likely to be vulnerable to abject poverty.

As they sell items ranging from clothing, beverages, cosmetics, foodstuffs to stationeries in areas like the Kaneshie, Kejetia, Mallam, Makola, Salaga, Dome markets, they try to raise incomes to support the educational, health, nutrition and general needs of their children and households, of course, contributing immensely as well to the growth of the Ghanaian economy.

Informal Sector Contribution
The contributions of market women to the development of the local economy cannot be overemphasized.

They play numerous roles in the development of the local economy. Key among their contributions to the development of the economy is the payments of taxes and rents.

For instance, a major part of revenue generated annually by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) comes from taxes and rents paid by traders at market scores.

The taxes and rents are normally paid to KMA through the market management. The taxes come in the form of market tolls, commonly referred to as 'tickets', whilst the rents are paid to the assembly for using the stores and stalls provided for the traders.

These traders usually pay amounts ranging from GH50 to GH10p a day to the management of the markets as tolls.

Owusu and Lund (2004) and King (2006) reported that levies paid by women in the informal commercial sector contribute significantly to the internally generated funds of district assemblies across Ghana.

The markets are a major contributor to the country’s services sector, which makes up about half of Ghana’s GDP, according to the Ghana Statistical Service.

Despite the country’s immense dependence on the market places, however, the common perceptions of market women in the country do not reflect their power.

It is a generally held opinion that only uneducated persons in Ghana end up as traders.

Testimonial
But in spite of their 'illiteracy', they perceive themselves as the leading force of entrepreneurship in Ghana.

Indeed, when it comes to the immense contributions market women make to the economy and the welfare of their children, one person who fits as a perfect example is the Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Elizabeth Sackey.

Madam Sackey says she was only fortunate to attain education at the highest level through the financial support of her mother who was a market woman at the Makola market in Accra. She believes without the kind support of her mother, going to school may have been a complete nightmare.

But unlike their counterparts in the corporate world, Ghanaian market women like Abena and others strongly feel their contributions to the growth of the country's economy, which is about 86 percent informal, are not being really recognized.

Over the years, Ghana has celebrated its women entrepreneurs from the corporate world.

Women like Gina Blay, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Western Publications, publishers of DAILY GUIDE; Kate Quartey Papafio, CEO of Reroy Group; Esther Cobbah of Strategic Communications Africa; and the late Esther Afua Ocloo, who founded Ghana's first food processing company in the 1930s, among others, have received some form of recognition for their contributions to the development of the country in their diverse fields ranging from cable manufacturing, media and communications.

For instance, Mrs Papafio was recently presented with the Excellence in Business Award at the Ghana Women of the Year honours.

She was awarded for her portrayal of courage and persistence in the cable manufacturing industry; a male-dominated business.

Mrs Blay, now Ghana's Ambassador to Germany and Latvia, in 2016 won the Media Communications Entrepreneur Award for her outstanding achievements in the print industry over the years at the 7th Ghana Entrepreneur & Corporate Executive Awards.

But market women feel they are deserving of such awards because, according to them, they equally contribute in diverse ways to building the country's economy as women.

They are of the view that they are real indigenous women entrepreneurs of Ghana.

The President of the Greater Accra Market Women Association, Mercy Afrowa Needjan, tells DAILY GUIDE that it is high time the role of market women to the development of the country was recognized by the state and award-organizing institutions.

She believes talking of women entrepreneurs in Ghana without considering market women is totally out of place because for her, the real indigenous women entrepreneurs of the country are those in selling in the markets.

Market Women's Day
Madam Needjan has the backings of the Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister and a foundation named Market Women's Day Celebration-Ghana (MWDC-Ghana).

The foundation is making efforts to bring to the fore the need for award institutions in Ghana to not leave out market women when it comes to honouring indigenous Ghanaian female entrepreneurs.

The foundation organized its mini celebration in 2017 on Republic Day for market women in the Greater Accra Region, and it is working to organize similar event this year at the Efua Sutherland Children's Park in Accra under the theme: 'Our Market Women: Icons of Indigenous Ghanaian Entrepreneurship'.

At the launch of this year's celebration, close to 100 prominent market women were in attendance and shared sentiments about their lack of recognitions.

The Director of MWDC-GH, J.N Halm, argues that market women are the 'real' indigenous women entrepreneurs of Ghana who ought to be celebrated and honoured for their immense contributions to the Ghanaian economy.

He says that when it comes to awarding women entrepreneurs in the country, focus should not only be on Ghanaian women in the corporate world only but also Ghanaian women who labour under scorching sun across markets in the country to cater for themselves, their families and contribute to the national economy.

For him, market women “are the icons of the Ghanaian economy” who ought to be celebrated.

Appeal
Madam Sackey urges corporate Ghana to consider instituting a special awards scheme aimed at celebrating and rewarding market women across Ghana.

According to the deputy minister, female traders in the Kaneshie, Makola, Lapaz markets, among others, are equally deserving of awards just like their counterparts in the corporate world who are awarded annually for contributing to the growth of the Ghanaian economy.

She states that market women have always been the backbone of the economy and as such are very important to the developmental agenda of government.

Madam Sackey points out that market women, who appear to be simple, must be appreciated because they make enormous contributions to the well-being of Ghanaians.

From paying school fees and medical bills of their children to providing for the general welfare of their homes under the scorching sun across markets in Ghana, she indicates that market women ought not to be left out in awarding women entrepreneurs at the national and regional levels.

She adds that awards should be given to outspoken market women to appreciate women traders.

Madam Sackey is also urging the women to be mindful of their environment and ensure proper sanitation.

She is warning against them selling along pavements across the country, urging them to restrict their trading activities to the designated market squares.

By Melvin Tarlue