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Traffic Vendors Live Dangerously |
| Contrary to claims that there are no jobs in the country, especially for the youth, the story seems to be quite different to some teenagers who ply their trade on the streets and are engaged in selling all manner of things in the nation’s capital. |
These vendors who appear unkempt and drenched in sweat with an accompanying offensive odour make their living under very dangerous circisumtances chasing their customers in heavy traffic jams.
Their prayer is that the traffic jam will never ease because that is when they espect good sales.
Their dismissal of the claims that there is no job for the youth is based on the argument that those who make such claims want to thrive on white collar jobs, which are difficult to find.
The boost in the street market has also attracted some of the youth from neighbouring countries such as Togo, Mali, Cote d’ Ivoire and Niger, among others, some of which have been experiencing political turmoil.
They find Ghana as a safe haven and while here take refuge on the streets. These foreigners end up satisfied because they do not care about the state of the work they do; their focus is on what they will earn.
With the timely introduction of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) by the government, some Ghanaians have been relieved of their unemployed status.
Others however clinge to their obsession with ‘white collar’ job which is difficult to come by.
The suggestion one gets about manual work or working outside the office is that it is for the illeterate or the lower classes in the society.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, some teenage street hawkers, namely, Rofizah Inusah and Osman recounted what led them to the streets as yam and onion sellers.
According to Rofizah, 18, he come to Ghana from his country, Togo, to seek for greener pastures in order to pay his junior high school fees.
However, he could not find any white collar job to do and so decided to trade in yams
According to him, his parents were peasant farmers who could not adequatly feed the family.
“Since I am the eldest son, I have to make something of my life and stop depending on them, which is why I am here doing this job.”
He said sales are sometimes good but the work is risky saying that some of the times vehicles ran over some of his colleagues.
In the case of Osman, an Ivorian who did not even know his age, he came to visit his brothers about six months ago but did not want to become a liability on them,and therefore he started selling onions to support them in paying the rent and other bills.
“At the moment, I have no plans of going back to Cote d’Ivoire. Even though the market is not always favourable, I hope to make the best of my stay here so that my brothers do not grow tired of me” he said.
Rofizah is able to make between GH¢25 and GH¢30 from tubers of yam that sell between GH¢1.00 and GH¢1.20 depending on the size and the type.
“On a good day one could make up to GH¢30. Nevertheless, one could be here the whole day without selling a tuber because there are too many of us in the business,” says Rofizah.
Their other colleagues also wanted to share their experiences but for the language barrier.
They appealed to the government to involve them in the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), adding that although they were not Ghanaians by birth, they considered themselves as such due to the peace and solidarity in the country.
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