The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has released additional reports from Phase I of the 2024 Integrated Business Establishment Survey (IBES I), including national statistics on mobile and open-space businesses in Ghana.
The 2024 IBES I is Ghana’s national economic census designed to produce data on businesses, employment, and economic activity. Presenting the findings, the Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, emphasised the importance of including all forms of business activity in official statistics. He noted that, “These findings extend the boundary of official statistics to include businesses that operate beyond fixed structures. By capturing mobile and open-space businesses, we are providing evidence on a significant segment of the economy that supports areas such as employment, income generation, and access to goods and services across the country.”
Mobile business refers to a business that does not operate in a fixed location or structure but operates while in motion, either by head porterage, hawking, or with the aid of motorised vehicles. Open-space businesses, on the other hand, operate at fixed locations in open environments, including roadsides, pavements, market peripheries, and residential areas.
The survey identified 82,920 mobile business operators nationwide and said women accounted for 64,237 operators, representing 77.5 per cent, while 52,000 operators, representing over 60 per cent, are aged between 15 and 35 years.
The survey revealed that Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions together accounted for 50.4 per cent of operators, with Greater Accra alone accounting for 30.1 per cent. At the district level, Accra Metropolitan recorded 5,321 operators, and Kumasi Metropolitan recorded 3,792 operators.
The report also said a total of 2,087 children aged 10 to 14 years were engaged in mobile business activity, with 80 per cent being girls. Ownership of goods, it disclosed, varied by age, with 14.7 per cent of children aged 10 to 14 owning the goods they sell, compared with over 91 per cent among operators aged 65 years and above.
The survey identified 693,748 open-space businesses employing 922,177 people nationwide, with women accounting for 79.5 per cent of workers and 84 per cent of business owners.
Moreover, it said food and beverage trade accounts for 68.4 per cent of open-space business activity, while non-food retail accounts for 15.5 per cent and services account for 16.0 per cent, with Greater Accra accounting for 23.5 per cent of businesses, Ashanti for 17.1 per cent, and Central Region for 10.7 per cent.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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