Nima Market: Accra’s busy spot for street food, daily hustle
On a busy day at the Nima Market, you will love to taste some good street food. You will love it.
The Nima Market is one of Accra's most vibrant places.
Every day, traders open their shops early, filling the air with music.
Buyers come from far and near to shop for fresh produce, spices, clothes and household items.
The Nima Market feels alive with people moving to and fro, especially the kayeyei, who call out prices and share smiles.
What makes Nima Market special is its famous street foods, such as waakye and Tuo-zaafi.
Visitors often stop to try them, making the market a tasty stop for both locals and outsiders.
Yet, life at the market is not always easy.
Traders face tough challenges every day, working long hours to support their families. Prices for goods, fuel and rent keep rising, affecting the pockets of both traders and buyers.
Sometimes, the market becomes crowded, making it difficult for buyers to navigate, while poor drainage systems, especially during the rainy season, affect traders.
“We are facing many challenges in the market, especially during the rainy season.
When it rains, all our foodstuffs get wet, and some even get spoiled,” said Madam Rabiatu, a trader at the market.
She added that, despite all the taxes that they had been paying to the government, there had been no improvement in the market.
According to Madam Kandy Annor, she had not made any sales since morning.
She added that at first, visitors and tourists came to the market to buy foodstuffs, which helped increase their sales, but they did not return.
“The taxes we are paying are too much, even though we pay the minimum amount of GH₵80 at the end of every year; they also collect GH₵2 from each seller every day, whether you made sales or not.
After paying all this money, we, the traders here, contributed money to bring electricity to the market,” said Madam Ruby Armah, a trader at Nima market.
Despite these challenges, the traders in the market stay connected and help one another keep the market running as part of the broader Nima life.
Other traders, such as Mr Shaibu Alhassan, Hajia Rabiatu Ali, called on the current government to listen to their pleas to improve infrastructure at the Nima Market.
SEIDU GAIDA RACHEAL
Student Journalist UNIMAC - LJ
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