Xmas activities pick up, President Akufo-Addo lights tree
Christmas is four days away and characteristic of the days leading to December 25, the nation’s capital, Accra, is bubbling with human movements and frustrating vehicular traffic.
What started as a slow build-up has suddenly assumed the usual busy pace of activities with many of the major roads in the Central Business District bursting at the seams.
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In spite of this, many traders and vendors say business has been slow as the human and vehicular traffic is yet to translate into brisk business for them.
However, they remain hopeful that the usual fever-pitch shopping experienced around this period will pick up over the weekend and going into the final two days before Christmas Day when many workers would have received their salaries and expected bonuses.
Decoration and mood
Last night, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, switched on lights on a Christmas tree at the Flagstaff House after which a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols followed to officially usher in the celebrations.
Many corporate organisations, filling stations and banks have also created the atmosphere in their organisations with Christmas decorations.
The Liberation roundabout, popularly referred to as the Ridge Roundabout, on the Liberation Road, has been turned into a ‘light city for Christmas’ by Ecobank Ghana. Inside the Ako Adjei Interchange circle, Standard Chartered Bank has also posted an immaculate signature of Christmas lighting and decoration.
Other corporate institutions along the street, including MTN Ghana, Agricultural Development Bank, CAL Bank, Zenith Bank, StanChart and Afrikiko Leisure Gardens, have gone the extra mile to make their Christmas decorations very spectacular, especially at night.
Unlike in the past where many shops would be playing Christmas carols all in a bid to attract customers, that is so far missing as most of the shops have their systems tuned in to various radio stations.
Many traders on the streets have also temporarily abandoned their usual stocks and now turned attention to selling Christmas decorations and other paraphernalia that characterise the season.
Business
When the Daily Graphic team visited the Central Business District in Accra, traders had set up their wares, but some said they were yet to sell as much as they did in previous years.
The team observed that some buyers at the centre were purchasing usual groceries for their personal use and items meant for the Christmas.
A trader, Ms Mary Amoah, who spoke to the team, said she had been selling Christmas wares for some years, but sales for this year were yet to pick up.
“People are not showing up because they do not have money to shop for the festive season; however, I will urge them to come since the prices are good,” she said.
Another trader, Mrs Frema Agyei-Yeboah, who deals in children’s wear, compared sales for the past four years, and said it had dipped.
“The best year was in 2015. That year, I sold almost all the things I got from the supplier which was about 1,500 pieces of clothes. Specifically for the Christmas, sales began in November and by December 23, I could say business had been good. However, I managed to sell half of that quantity in 2016 and 2017.
“Last year, I sold slightly over 700 pieces and even that, it was between December 22 and 24. This year, it’s just a few days to the event and I still have most of the stock I have been supplied with,” she said.
“I don’t know why, but it seems there is no money in the system and with schools reopening almost immediately, I’m sure people are more concerned about that,” she said.
GUTA
When contacted, the National Welfare Officer of Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Mr Benjamin Yeboah, said traders who dealt in toffees, biscuits, among other provisions, were making some good sales, adding that those who dealt in children’s items were also making some amount of brisk business.
However, he added that good sales would definitely not cut across, as recently there had been diverse ways of purchasing goods.
Mr Yeboah said many people now dealt in products that used to be sold solely by some few shops at the Central Business District.
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“We cannot generally say that sales are good or bad since now a lot of shops sell similar goods. Also with the introduction of online shopping, people might not move to town to shop,” he said.
Buyers
A shopper, Mr Joseph Afful, who was asking for prices of some toys from a trader, told the Daily Graphic that he would go back later when he had enough money to purchase.
“There is no money in the system, so I doubt if people will shop for Christmas. I deal in electronic products and sales are equally not good, he stated.
Ms Agnes Bediako, another shopper, who was at the Achimota Mall, said she was not shopping for Christmas, but was only window-shopping.
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For Ms Adwoa Korang Mensah, she usually shopped for her three children for Christmas in November, adding that she had not been able to do so because the collapse of a microfinance company she saved with deprived her of that privilege.
“Every year, I begin saving with one of the microfinance companies towards Christmas. Unfortunately, my money has been locked up and this year, the company I work with is yet to give us the usual Christmas bonus, saying they would want to take care of salaries first and give us the bonus later.
“I’m a single parent with three children, so I need to be cautious about our budget to ensure that we do not face financial challenges, particularly in January, when there are fees to be paid. If I have to buy, I’ll buy for my last child who is seven years,” Ms Mensah said.
Discount sales
Meanwhile, some companies such as those dealing in appliances, some shops at various malls in Accra and Melcom have been experiencing good sales due to their discounted sales, especially on Black Friday.
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Shops such as Melcom have extended their discounted sales from the Black Friday throughout the festive season to encourage patronage.
The Director of Communications of Melcom, Mr Godwin Avernorgbo, said sales were good due to the discounted prices, expressing the hope that patronage would continue till the end of the year.
Street markets
To help ease the human traffic in the central business districts, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in collaboration with the police and other stakeholders, has closed selected streets in some metropolises, municipalities and districts in the Greater Accra and the Ashanti regions to serve as street markets.
The closure of the streets began on Monday, December 16 and will end on Wednesday, January 1, 2020.
The street markets will be open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day.