Vendor Demographics

Accra’s informal vending community boasts diversity in terms of socioeconomic status, gender, age, and educational attainment. Interviewees ranged from young teenagers to elderly people who have worked as vendors for up to 20 years. Most observed vendors were women, some of whom are single parents, whose households depend entirely on their income from vending. Many vendors interviewed migrated to Accra from Ghana’s northern regions, while others traveled from nearby locations such as the Ashanti Region. Some are Accra natives whose families’ indigenous roots date back to the colonial era; others are the first in their families to arrive in Ghana from neighboring countries such as Niger and Nigeria.

Most observed vendors were women, some of whom are single parents, whose households depend entirely on their income from vending.

Vendors sell produce at Makola Market.