Street Hustle Accra: A day in the life of 39-year-old carpenter selling tables and chairs to survive

Mr Nyame is a carpenter on the streets of Accra. He migrated from the Volta Region in 2008 to Accra to marry a young trader after which they have been blessed with three children. He tells us about how he with his family while selling tables and chairs.

• Morning

I wake up at 6 in the morning then I take my bath and then get ready for the day.

I have my shed in the house where I make my things so, I go there to arrange the chairs and tables that I have made. If there are others to do too, I do them and add them to the once I already have, then I make them ready to go and sell.

By the time I get done, my children would have been awake, if they haven't then I wake them up, bath them give them breakfast to eat, then I send them to a place where they go for classes since the Covid-19 took over.

I do all these because my wife sells foodstuffs so she goes to the market at dawn.

By 9am, I should have returned from the place where my children have their classes.

Usually, I get people calling me to come and fix their things for them at home. When I have such assignments, I go there to check on it and if it's a minor issue, I do it for them immediately and return to go and sell my tables and chairs.

If the problem is a major one too, I would have to quit going to sell for the day and then I fix the problem.

So assuming I don't have anything to fix in the house of anyone, at 10am, by then my wife would have returned from the market then I set off to go and sell my tables and chairs.

• Afternoon

My afternoons are usually for sales. I go round the neighbourhood and beyond to make sure I sell most of my things.

I have customers so, sometimes I lend the things out to them and go for the money later.  

I sell till about 3pm then I rest at a place and find some bread or bofrot to eat and add some water to it as lunch. Then I continue selling till about 5pm then I return home.

• Evening

I get home around 6pm then I go to offload my things then I go straight to the bathroom to shower.

When I return, I take my super and then watch television or chat with my family a little. At 9pm, we have our devotion together and then off, we go to bed.

So basically that's how my day is almost like all the time.

• Best moments

It's really interesting when I have to go to people's house to go and work there. I make enough money from them and it less tiring.

Those who know my good work never hesitate when paying because they know I do my job very well.

Carpentry is a good job. If you are honest and hardworking, you get enough to cater for your family as I do.

• Challenges

Selling tables and chairs isn't like selling food where you get people to buy every day. Sometimes I go to sell and no one buys so I have to lend it out.

And when you lend it out too, people are reluctant to pay.

Sometimes people also look down on you because there is this perception that if you are into a trade like this, then you aren't educated.

Aside all these, I have a supporting wife who has got my back anytime so, we try to give better upbringing to my children and I think that's the most important thing.