Accra, (Ghana) As the 13th African Games draw to a close, vendors at the University of Ghana stadium are pinning their hopes on a final surge of customers during the closing ceremony.
Over a hundred vendors selling food, beverages, clothing, and artifacts set up tents to capitalize on the influx of spectators, but many have experienced lackluster sales throughout the games.
Even though the city hosted 5,000 athletes and officials from across the continent, 3,000 volunteers, and numerous foreign media personalities, most of whom were staying at the University of Ghana hostel, vendors claim that their presence did not result in significant sales of their products.
With expenditures piling up and unsold inventory accumulating, vendors of all varieties are beginning to feel the financial strain. For some, it has turned what should have been a lucrative opportunity into a battle to simply break even.
“It’s been really disappointing. We expected a huge influx of customers, but sales have been sluggish,” laments Lily Agana, CEO of Lily Cakes, and more. “I had to bring in extra staff to handle the anticipated demand, but now I’m struggling to cover their wages. We invested heavily in preparing a wide range of delicious cakes and pastries, but they’re just sitting on the shelves. It’s disheartening to see all that effort go to waste.”
For Trenor Coats and Crowns Limited, the games have been a disappointment. “At a point, we were contemplating whether to pack off because there was nothing happening. No one was coming,” a representative stated.
“We had high hopes for these games, but the foot traffic has been abysmal. It’s like we’re invisible to the attendees.”
The story echoes across other vendors as well. “The market was only good at the opening ceremony, after which things went completely quiet. We’re hoping the closing ceremony will give us a much-needed surge in sales, at least enough to break even,” said Dela Afadzinu, CEO of Native Beverages, which sells fruit drinks. “We’ve paid a premium to secure a selling spot, but it hasn’t been anywhere close to what we expected or needed to make it worthwhile.”
Food vendor Mma Adama, operator of a Ghana, Guinea, and Mali restaurant, shared her frustrations.
“I wasn’t made fully aware that there would be events happening at other venues.
I thought everything would be concentrated here at Legon, but it turned out to be a different story.” She continued,
“For the first week, there was practically no activity or customers here. And even when events started happening at this venue, patronage has been disappointingly slow. I prepared enough food to feed an army, but it’s been a real struggle to keep my business afloat during these games.”
However, not all vendors share the same experience. Evans, a staff member at Narshco Clothing, which specializes in African wear, reported brisk sales driven by foreign nationals. “People come and say they want to buy Ghanaian clothing for their loved ones back home. It’s been great to share our traditional designs with visitors from across Africa,” he said. “The vibrant prints and patterns have really caught the eye of the foreign guests. They love the authenticity and want to take a piece of our culture back with them.”
For Narshco, the ability to reach new customers and open potential export markets makes the significant investments and hard work worthwhile.
While the experiences have been mixed for vendors at this year’s African Games, the two-week sports event has highlighted the immense economic opportunities that major sporting spectacles can provide for local entrepreneurs and small businesses.
The Games have not only driven tourism and consumer spending but have also offered a platform to showcase local products, culture, and talent to an international audience.
While Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo stated during the opening ceremony that the legacy of hosting the Games would far outlast the country’s economic difficulties, the vendors had a different perspective. For them, the primary concern was the economic impact, specifically the ability to at least break even in what proved to be a market that fell short of their expectations.
And as the closing ceremony approaches on Saturday, March 22nd, they are clinging to one last hope of recouping their investments and making the most of this opportunity.
With thousands expected to descend on the University of Ghana stadium, they await a final flurry of sales to help offset the sluggish market during the games.
