By Emmanuella Adjetey (Student, UniMAC-GIJ)
Accra being the capital of Ghana, is the most urbanized place in the country with about 87.4% of its population living in urban centers.
In the last few years, rural urban migration has made Accra choked, making living conditions very difficult.
The current state of the economy and the high rate of unemployment among other factors has turned the country into a state of survival. Menial jobs such as street hawking has become one of the means for survival along these streets, a way of hustling here in Accra.
Street hawking is an occupation taken up by mostly migrants when they arrive in urban areas, selling of goods such as carbonated drinks, bottled water, snacks, electronics and more along the streets or roads from one place to the other.
With each passing day, there is a noticeable increase in the number of people who hawk or choose to hawk on these streets from men to women both old and young even children as well as the physically challenged, which is of great concern.
In the past, at the mention of street hawkers, the first thought that crosses the mind is of people who have little to no formal education but nowadays, it is no longer the case, you have children under the age of eight selling on these busy streets, even people who have reached or attained some level of higher education all engage in hawking just to make ends meet.
Street hawking also brings a lot challenges and danger to those who engage in it. Some of these dangers and challenges are; motor and car accidents, excessive standing and running, health dangers as a result of emissions from vehicles etc. On a few accounts, buyers have made away with goods without paying for and so have these traders also made away with money of buyers.
This petty trading on these streets is a lucrative source of employment for low income for many of these street hawkers. Upon further probing, as to why some of these people trade along these streets despite the challenges and dangers that comes with street hawking, one trader stated that as a single mother rising four kids this is her only way of supporting her family and herself.
According to her, even though what she makes is not enough, it at least provides for their needs.
