Investigating the performance of rural and urban petty traders in Afigya-Kwabre District

Abstract

his research investigated the performance of rural and urban petty traders in Afigya Kwabre District. A total of two hundred (200) questionnaires were administered in the study area but one hundred and ninety-three (193) responses were received. Descriptive statistics was employed to describe the demographic characteristics, social capital of petty traders and their customers, the roles they play and challenges associated with petty trading. The findings revealed that demographic characteristics such as age, education, source of income and operation mode play a major role in the life of petty traders. Majority of petty traders own their businesses, finance it through personal savings and operate on part-time basis. Most petty traders win customers and get free foodstuffs through socialisation. However, petty trading is not competitive enough and barter trading rarely practised. The study revealed that, petty trading requires low starting capital, has easy entry, no special skills required, provides employment and serves as economic agent. Factors such as lack of access to credit, high interest rate, bad roads, difficulty collecting money from debtors, lack of storage facilities and partnerships, lack of government support and poor implementation of SSES policies contribute to the inability of SSES to perform very well. In view of these challenges, major recommendations proposed include the following; Establishment of SSES bank in Ghana, interest rate reduction, provision of good roads, ban on importation of foreign goods and good implementation of SSES policies to control them. Finally, effective implementation of the recommendation could lead to growth of SSES sector in Afigya-Kwabre District and eventually result in creation of employment as well as reduce poverty in Ghana