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Across parts of Accra, nkate (groundnut) cake vendors continue to line busy streets, transport terminals and commercial centres, selling the popular snack to commuters and passers-by.
Unlike many street trades affected by low patronage, vendors say nkate cake continues to enjoy steady demand.
However, they (vendors) insist the main challenge confronting the business is the very low profit margin, which makes it difficult to earn a decent living despite consistent sales.
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Interactions between The Mirror and some vendors last Wednesday revealed that many traders have to sell more than 100 pieces of nkate cake at GH¢2 each to make an average profit of about GH¢30 a day.
A vendor at Circle, Juliana Obeng, said that although customers bought regularly, the proceeds left after purchasing the product at wholesale prices and paying for packaging, food, and transport were little or nothing in terms of profit.
As a result, she noted, many vendors were considering abandoning wholesale purchases altogether and instead learning how to prepare ‘nkate cake’ themselves to improve their earnings.
While some admitted that preparing the snack was tedious and time-consuming, they maintained that it was a better option than selling all day and earning very little.
At the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, another vendor, Mena Esi, who buys her nkate cake from Mallam, confirmed that sales were consistent, especially during peak hours.
“It sells well, but the profit is the problem. Even if you sell 100 pieces, the profit is about GH¢30, and it’s not every day that you sell everything. To make more profit, you have to trek the whole day or get a very good spot to make the business easier,” she said.
She added that on days when sales were slow, vendors had leftovers, further reducing their earnings.
At the Roxy Cinema bus stop, Laley Adjaidoo shared similar concerns, stressing that the challenge was not customer demand but poor returns.
“People buy it every day. I don’t make savings from it, but at least it helps me get something small for my daily bread,” she said.
At Kingsway in Accra, Ruby Asilamnu, popularly known as Mawusi, said she had been involved in petty trading for about 10 years and had tried several businesses before settling on nkate cake.
After relocating from the Volta Region, she said she sold clothes and other items but struggled due to poor sales. With the help of an Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) task force, she later switched to selling sweets, which performed better.
“The taskforce person gave me a spot and told me that the person who used to sell there was an osofo maame who made good sales from sweets, so I should try it,” she recounted.
It was during this period that she noticed the high demand for nkate cake and decided to buy it wholesale.
“The sales were good, but the profit was discouraging. If you buy GH¢100 worth, you make only about GH¢30 profit, and out of that, you still have to buy packaging bags,” she explained.
She added that selling under the hot sun also affected the texture and taste of the snack, forcing vendors to start very early in the morning and seek shade when the sun was up.
Eventually, Mawusi decided to learn how to prepare nkate cake herself, a move she said significantly improved her income.
“Now the sales are still good, but the profit is better. Nkate cake is patronised by both the young and old. It is daily chop money,” she said.
She noted that the improved earnings had enabled her to expand her trade to include pastries.
Unlike some wholesale producers, Mawusi said she intended to sell her nkate cake at affordable prices to retailers to enable them to earn better daily profits.
“I don’t want to do to others what was done to me. The snack sells; it just needs fair pricing so vendors can survive,” she said.
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