Good Road, Empty Pockets – Kasoa-Mallam Fix Leaves Hawkers Hungry

For years, drivers cursed the Kasoa-Mallam Road. The potholes, the dust, and the hours-long traffic made it one of the most hated roads in Accra.

Now the road is finally smooth, but not everyone is happy.

Some hawkers who sell along the stretch of the Accra-Cape Coast Highway say the good road has brought them bad business. 

For roadside traders, traffic jam was not a problem. It was their shop.

When cars were stuck bumper-to-bumper, drivers and passengers had time to buy water, snacks, plantain chips, phone chargers, and fruit through the car windows.

Now that cars are moving freely, no one stops to buy.

One trader told MyJoyOnline that fixing the road is good, but it has really affected their business because they cannot make sales now that traffic flows freely. Other traders along the same stretch said the same thing – slow sales, empty hands, and worry about how to survive. 

The repair works are happening on the McCarthy-Mallam section of the highway. The work started after weeks of complaints from motorists. 

On October 19, the MP for Weija-Gbawe, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, asked the Roads Minister to urgently fix the road because potholes and bad portions were causing serious traffic. 

For drivers who live in Kasoa, Millennium City, Weija, Gbawe and travel to Mallam, Kaneshie and Odorkor every day, the fix has been a big relief. Journey times are now shorter and more predictable. 

This is the painful truth about many roads in Ghana. Our informal traders survive on traffic bottlenecks because stalled vehicles create a ready market. 

When the traffic goes, their market goes too.

For now, there is no clear plan on when the rehabilitation will end or whether the hawkers will get support or a new place to sell. 

The road is good. That is true. But for the men and women who depend on that traffic to feed their families, a smooth road now means a rough life.

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