By Kingsley Webora Tankeh
Although the Harmattan season kicked in a little late this year, its harsh effects on the skin is being felt across the country. This has led to a boom in shea butter, lip glosses, lip balms, and gel business. The traders however say despite the boom, they do not have access to capital to expand their enterprise.
It is that time of the year where the North East trade winds well known as the harmattan winds hover across the country, especially the Northern part. The harmattan which normally leads to bushfires also causes dry skin and lips which leads to a boom in business for traders of shea butter, lip glosses and balms, and gels.
According to some traders of these items, business had been slow from December last year till the middle of January this year but has now peaked. They, however, complained about their inability to access credit facilities to boost their businesses and rake in more profit during the season.
“Business is good. Many people come to buy shea butter because it is very good for the skin. I have people living abroad who come to buy it in large quantities also,” Rama Sulley who sells shea butter at Makola 37 describes how the shea butter business is faring in the advent of this year’s Harmattan.
Lip glosses and balms which are known for their cosmetic purpose have now become a necessary and handy companion for many.
“Due to the harmattan, people are patronizing more of the lip glosses and balms. Business is booming,” Kojo Baffour Awuah who sells lip glosses and balms at Makola says business has picked up.
Some of the traders also complained that the depreciation of the cedi against major trading currencies, taxes and high interest rates, which are due to the current economic instability in the country, affect their accessibility to loan facilities to expand their businesses.
“The taxes are affecting our business. All of us (traders) are suffering. We borrowed money from banks to support our businesses. Now, the banks are after us, but we cannot pay back the loans. The interest rates are very high, so when we take the loans, we end up working for the banks but for yourself,” Josephine Hammond, the PRO of Makola shopping mall in Accra told GBC while expressing disappointment in the government’s inability to maintain some economic stability to ensure a conducive environment for business to thrive.
The shop owner at Makola shopping mall also lamented the lack of response from the appropriate authority to address the remnants of the fire that engulfed a portion of the shopping arcade in October last year, as she alluded to the conspicuously charred portion of the building left bare.
Despite the boom in the sale of these items in the wake of the harmattan, shea butter is facing intense competition from the new varieties of glosses, pomades and gels on the market. However, the shea butter traders said no commodity on the market can nourish and protect the skin from the harsh weather at an affordable price like shea butter.
