Business operators in Swedru’s Mandela Market, in the Agona West Constituency, are struggling with economic challenges due to an influx of traders, leading to fewer customers and shrinking profits.
Yaa Amanda, a long-time trader, expressed her concerns during an interview on The Constituency with Samuel Ackom on Channel One TV, explaining how the increased number of sellers is negatively affecting business.
“Business is not the same as it used to be because we don’t get people to patronize us. There are more traders than customers. From teachers to police officers, everyone is trying to sell something, and that is affecting our business,” Yaa Amanda lamented.
“If all of us are selling, who do we expect to buy from us?”
She further explained that her ability to stock goods has drastically reduced due to lower demand.
“In the past, I used to buy 25-27 bags of pepper to sell here in Swedru, but now I go to Accra and can only afford 7 bags because there aren’t enough buyers,” she said.
She also highlighted the rise in the cost of goods, noting, “We used to buy a bag of pepper for GH₵150-200, but now it costs between GH₵400 and GH₵500, and even that is mostly pepper from Togo. How do we expect people to buy when prices are this high? We make very little in terms of income.”
Abena Sekyiwaa, another trader, echoed similar frustrations. “Doing business now is quite difficult because the economy is hard,” she said.
She noted that while there are more goods on the market, the farmers are charging higher prices due to their own financial pressures.
“Drivers also charge very high prices for transportation, and when we get here, we don’t get people buying from us. Many of us are in debt.”
When asked about her political stance heading into the 2024 general elections, Sekyiwaa, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), expressed disappointment in the current government.
“The NPP has left people disappointed in this government. Our children are not able to secure jobs after school. We are not saying we are voting for you to pay us, but I must say the NPP has disappointed us,” she stated.
