GSS Calls for Targeted Support as Ghana’s Mobile Business Sector Surges
By Nii Trebi Hammond
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has called on policymakers and key stakeholders to intensify support for Ghana’s rapidly expanding mobile business sector, citing its growing importance to employment creation, commerce, and economic inclusion.
New data from the 2024 Integrated Business Establishment Survey Phase I (IBES I) reveals that an estimated 82,920 mobile business operators are active nationwide. The survey provides the first comprehensive national mapping of a sector that has long operated on the fringes of formal economic measurement, despite its visibility and impact. It captures a wide range of activities, including traders, hawkers, and porters who operate from carts, vehicles, and other mobile setups, delivering goods and services directly to households and commuters.
“Mobile businesses are a vital but under-measured part of Ghana’s economy, emphasising the disconnect between the sector’s prominence in everyday economic life and its limited recognition in policy frameworks,” the GSS noted.
Demographic data from the survey underscores the sector’s role as a critical livelihood source. Women account for 77.5 per cent of mobile operators, while more than 60 per cent fall within the 15 to 35 age bracket. Spatially, activity is concentrated in urban centres, with the Greater Accra Region alone accounting for 30.1 per cent of operators, followed by the Ashanti Region. For many within these groups, mobile trading serves not as a supplementary income stream but as a primary means of survival.
However, the GSS cautions that the sector’s rapid expansion has not been matched by structural resilience. Most operators function with limited capital, face restricted access to formal financial services, and operate outside social protection systems. These challenges are compounded by long working hours, exposure to adverse weather conditions, and highly unstable income streams.
To address these vulnerabilities, the Service is advocating a set of targeted interventions. These include expanding access to microfinance and digital financial services, implementing skills development programmes tailored to mobile operators, and incorporating the sector more deliberately into urban planning and local economic strategies.
“Recognizing and supporting mobile businesses is critical for sustaining employment growth, enhancing productivity, and fostering inclusive economic development,” the GSS said.
The findings from IBES I reinforce the need to reframe perceptions of mobile trading within Ghana’s economic architecture. Far from being peripheral, the sector plays a central role in facilitating market access and sustaining supply chains across urban and peri-urban areas.
As the sector continues to grow in scale and significance, the GSS maintains that urgent and coordinated policy attention will be essential to translate this momentum into improved livelihoods, higher productivity, and more resilient urban economies.
