Pardon me for my limited exposure in terms of international travel, therefore I cannot really tell what happens in other jurisdictions, but my checks from the internet tells me that this phenomenon occurs mostly in third world countries particularly sub-Saharan countries of Africa of which Ghana is part of. For those of us who live in Accra, the capital of Ghana, you would have one way or another come across or have used a unique supermarket in the capital of Ghana.
It is no doubt the largest supermarket though it is not necessarily the most stocked or diversified in terms of products. This supermarket unlike all supermarkets is not housed in a building, neither are its products displayed on shelves with their corresponding price tags. This supermarket does not have any defined working hours, and does not need you coming to the supermarket to pick up the products, but rather the products will come chasing you either on the heads or the hands of the young and energetic youth of Ghana. These youth are the workers of the highway supermarket and are popularly referred to as hawkers.
Imagine having to do your shopping right in the comfort of your vehicle as you move home from work. All you have to do its to take advantage of the slow-moving traffic to purchase whatever you can find in any supermarket right on the highway. Well this is very possible right in the capital of Ghana, Accra. As mentioned earlier, this “innovation” is made possible by a group of self-employed people we call Hawkers (I have always wondered why they are called by that name?) Hawkers are made up of mostly the youth in their twenties with a few children as young as ten years who sell by and on the streets for a living. They take advantage of the daily rush hours especially in the evenings, when traffic is slow to move onto these roads and advertise their goods for sale to the passengers in vehicles. They are found on all the busy roads and intersections in the capital, once traffic moves slowly you are sure to find them there. They have indeed become a feature of our roads.
It is amazing the range of products these daring men and women sell on the streets and I won’t attempt to mention them because believe me or not when I say a wide range I mean it! Products as odd as footballs, maps, yam, onions, etc can be found at different parts of the streets. And the fact that these industrious people are back on the streets day in day out only means that they are in good business in spite of the numerous dangers their lives are exposed to. Obviously, the wares of the hawkers are most often than not, slightly much more expensive than what you will find in the market.
The story of the hawkers is one of a dilemma, as their activities have been viewed by Ghanaians in many different ways; while some see it as a reflection of the unemployment crisis facing the nation, and as such their activities are a means of livelihood to themselves, others think they are a nuisance on our roads and only contribute to the already congested traffic on the roads, others are only concerned for the safety of their lives as they are occasionally knocked down by vehicles in the process. The most recent one was at the Weija-Kasoa toll booth where a number of them lost their lives. Well, whichever side of the debate you belong to, the story of the Ghanaian hawker will continue to amaze and fascinate many as they go about their normal business in search of a meaningful livelihood.
To be continued…