Adabraka Market; the processed fish centre

Adabraka Market is the third market established in the Greater- Accra Region aside Makola and Salaga markets.

It was started in 1927 during the era of the then British Governor, Sir Frederick Gordon Guggisberg.

The market is called Adabraka Market because it is situated in Adabraka (the centre of Accra).

The market started when Sir Guggisberg instructed all sellers not to sell food items in front of their homes.

This directive compelled all traders in and around Accra to cease selling in their homes and moved to the Adabraka marketplace where they were expected to sell.

Adabraka Market is mainly dominated by two ethnic groups; Gas and Ewes.

According to Ms Elizabeth Naa Dei Neequaye, Secretary to the market, the Gas were the first settlers in the market until some traders began to move to other market centres such as the Mallam Atta, Agbobloshie, Nima, Kaneshie etc.

These women moved to these market centres because their residences were close to these markets.

This  became a problem since patronage was low and there were a lot of vacancies in the market.

Hajia Larkor Mumuni, the then Queen mother of the market called upon Mr Enoch Teye Mensah who was the then Mayor of Accra to come to their aid.

Upon this information,  the Former President, Flt Lt  Jerry J. Rawlings, gave a directive to allow market women in Volta Region who brought dry fish to Accra to settle at the Adabraka Market in order to fill up the vacancies since the traders from  Volta Region wanted to settle in Accra.

Business in Adabraka is quick due to the monopoly it has trading in smoked fish. Market women from Kumasi, Takoradi, Kaneshie,

Agbobloshie etc come to the Adabraka Market to purchase dry, smoked  and salted  fish.

Adabraka Market is known as a dry fish centre. All types of dry fish namely, Agbasla, Blovi, Akwebi, Odo, Oheneba, Akaw, Koobi etc. dominate whatever is sold there .

However, the Adabraka Market is no different from other markets in terms of arrangement of stalls and how females are the dominant group among the traders with the few male working as  truck pushers who assist buyers and sellers to carry food items in and out of the market.
 

The market has two stand pipes and two toilet facilities.

According to Ms Neequaye, their predecessors were very disciplined and always found a calm way to resolve their differences whenever they had issues. She said these were good traits women of the market had followed and that had maintained peace in the market.
  

She disclosed that every trader at the market had a membership card and the dues charged was used to run the market.