Sometime last year, I went to the Agboloshie Market to buy hearings- ‘keta school boys’, in preparation for a wedding ceremony. I budgeted 120 cedis for one bowl – ‘olonka’.
At the market, I was told it was 140 cedis per olonka. I pleaded for a reduction, but they refused, insisting that prices have gone up.
A young lady, ‘kayaye’ signalled me to follow her. I suppose she could relate to me as coming from the North. She led me to a location that seemed to be like a ‘wholesale’ point. That is about a 5-minute walk away from the earlier location.
To my surprise, olonka there were 65 cedis. Since I was buying multiple, it was further reduced to 60 cedis. The kayaye informed me that that’s where the other market women buy from to come and sell.
Now my problem is, in the same market, 5 min apart, at almost no cost, the price is almost tripled. Meanwhile, the original owners, even at 60 cedis will make a profit.
Usually, in such engagements, most traders try to earn sympathy and level the blame on the ‘system’ or fuel prices so that they can keep ‘milking’ buyers.
I don’t know what the system can do about it but I think the system should set up strategies to check this ‘thievery’ called trading in Ghana.
