The Role of Market Women in the Informal Urban Economy in Kumasi

Abstract

In this paper, the authors examined the role of market women in the informal urban economy and the factors that threaten the effective performance of their roles. Interviewing 360 foodstuff sellers from the Kumasi Central Market and the Race Course Markets, the authors identified that the market women had made significant contributions towards Ghana's fiscal decentralisation through the payment of levies and rents. They have also created jobs, provided incomes for households, ensured food security and sufficiency, and provided a platform for generational development of entrepreneurial skills and competence. However, their roles in the informal economy were constrained by the inadequate basic infrastructure in the markets, limited access to credit facilities and transportation difficulties. The paper therefore recommended the provision of basic life enhancing infrastructure and credit facilities complemented with capacity building in business management.

Fuelling women's empowerment? An exploration of the linkages between gender, entrepreneurship and access to energy in the informal food sector

“…Energy Research & Social Science 28 (2017) [86][87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97] a retrogressive source of energy associated with low efficiency, negative health effects, environmental degradation and poverty [50,51]. There is also wide recognition that modern methods of using traditional energy sources in modern appliances could reduce environmental impacts by increasing combustion efficiency and reducing exposure to smoke related respiratory health issues [52,53].…”

“…The informal sector provides between 50-75% of total employment [87] and over 72% of non-agricultural employment in Africa [88,89]. This paper defines the informal sector as comprising enterprises and employees that are not formally registered [90][91][92]. Fernández-Pacheco [93] identified three main types of informality: (i) subordinated informality, practised through subcontracting; (ii) subsistence informality, including own account and unpaid work; and (iii) informality associated with smallscale firms with five or fewer employees.…”

Factors Influencing Contraceptives Use among Female Migrants in Ghanaian Cities, A case of Kayeyei in the Kumasi Metropolis

“…Women in Africa have long been known for transporting agricultural produce by way of the head for both family consumption and to the local market. Notwithstanding the introduction of advanced and intermediate means of transport like a tricycle, bicycle motorbike and taxi, head porting is still common in Africa as it provides the most flexible and a cheaper means of carting light loads door-to-door (Baah-Ennumh & Adom-Asamoah, 2012). According to Baah-Ennumh and Adom-Asamoah (2012), the poorly organised settlement and transportation systems contribute to traffic congestion in the central business district of Ghanaian cities fuelled by the phenomenon of head porting business.…”

Is better to be a kayayei than to be unemployed: reflecting on the role of head portering in ghana’s informal economy

“…Head-load portering in market areas was introduced to Ghana from the Sahelian countries of Mali and Niger (Kwankye et al 2009) and has continued to play a major role in transporting goods in densely crowded trading areas such as markets and bus stations (Porter et al 2012). Many markets in Ghana have been established for a long time, served by narrow, mud footpaths which are not accessible by vehicles (Baah-Ennumh and Adom-Asamoah 2012). Stallholders in these markets constantly depend on loads carried by 'men porters' (truck 3 Truck pushers are young men who carry the loads of customers for a negotiated fee on four-wheeler trolleys instead of carrying it on their heads.…”