Ghana Life: Market Carts
In the cities of Ghana, the cheapest and most widely used freight transport service is provided by teams of boys who push and pull flat-topped market carts constructed from four automobile wheels. In Kumasi, the carts are made by artisans, steelmakers and carpenters, who work in Suame Magazine, Ghana’s largest informal industrial zone. In the novel ‘The Colonial Knight’s Son’, Kwame Mainu goes from being a cart puller to a manufacturer. What follows is a description of how he sold his first cart in the Kejetia market, Kumasi, said to be the largest market in West Africa.
Few people could have been prepared in advance for the shock of the Kejetia market, and Kwame was no exception. What Suame was for repairing and crafting, Kejetia was for trading. However, while Suame was confused and irregular, Kejetia was orderly and regular. Long rows of identical market stalls stretched hundreds of meters in straight lines or in gentle curves up the hill. Between the rows of stalls were paths packed with people. Underfoot was packed earth, but unlike Suame, the surface was reasonably flat and free of obstructions. Some market carts carried loads around the market, but Kwame found that during the day it was a slow and difficult process as the roads were so congested. The main transportation of goods, he guessed, must be done at night or early in the morning before the start of business.
Standing near the market entrance, Kwame wondered what to do next. Should he try to enter the market with his cart and do business, or would it be better to leave and return at a quieter time? People were milling everywhere, and he feared he would be accused of obstructing the flow of shoppers to the market. He then heard a voice behind him say “That’s a very nice cart. Is it for sale?”
Kwame turned to find a short, fat man with a shiny bald head smiling at him. “Why do you think he’s for sale?” Kwame asked. “Well, it can’t be for hire with just you to push it,” said the man. Then he held out his hand “I’m Uncle George, or at least that’s what everyone calls me around here. I operate more market carts than anyone in Kejetia. I’m looking to upgrade my fleet; replace some of the old wrecks, so I’m really interested in your new model”.
“Well yes, I suppose I could sell it to you,” said Kwame, “but I’m afraid it’s a bit more expensive than the standard model.”
Kwame mentioned a figure that would give him a good profit margin. Uncle George frowned. “I didn’t expect to pay that much,” he said. They haggled over the price for a while, but Kwame could not get below the price he had paid the craftsman, and negotiations stalled. “All right, young man,” said Uncle George at last, “would you give me the cart at my price if I ask for another ten?” Kwame’s heart skipped a beat; he now he was in business!
Kwame did not know how he was going to produce ten good carts at the price Uncle George had offered, but he was determined to find a way. However, before returning to Suame, he decided to explore more in the center of the city. Not far from Kejetia Kwame found another large market called Asafo and heard that there were more markets located in each of the main suburbs of the city. On the roads in the center of the city, Kwame observed many cars in operation. Some carried boxes with products from the market and others were loaded with construction materials, wood products from carpentry, furniture and household items such as refrigerators and washing machines. There seemed to be no limit to the loads that were transported and no limit to the distance over which they were delivered. Wagons provided a low-cost freight service that almost anyone could afford. Kwame had thought that he knew everything about the operations of the market carts, but he had never imagined anything on this scale before. He felt that he had arrived in the market tram capital of the world.