Kantamanto Market is a market area situated in the central business district of
Accra
Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
, in
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
. The market consists mostly of the typical Akan tribes of Kwahu's and Ashanti's. It is a well known market in Accra with a specialization in clothing resale. The site was important part of the informal economy of the city.
At its peak it was the largest market used clothes market in West Africa.
The site received increasing international attention after
sustainable fashion activists and journalists identified the market as one of the main receivers of imported unusable used clothing in the
fast fashion industry.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 40% of the garments that enter the market and are sorted by traders get discarded into landfills.
The market and its informal economy play and important role in the city's economy, and COVID-19 restrictions greatly harmed the trade in the city.
A December 2020 fire, which some reports suggest
were set by real estate developers, decimated the market. Though some vendors tried to return to the site,
developers announced in March 2021 are building a new shopping center at the site.
Market structure
There are over 30,000 traders in the market selling all kinds of wares from used clothing to food to car spare parts.
Fires
Due to the congested nature of the market, when ever there is a fire outbreak the damage is always extensive. With the destruction of good and structures running into several thousands of
cedis. There are no
fire hydrants
A fire hydrant, waterplug, or firecock (archaic) is a connection point by which firefighters can tap into a water supply. It is a component of active fire protection. Underground fire hydrants have been used in Europe and Asia since at least ...
in the market making it almost impossible to refill
fire tender
A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an i ...
s which run out of water during fires. This story is similar to other markets in the country such as
Kotokoraba market,
Market Circle and the
Kejetia market. There was fire outbreak in the market occurred on Tuesday, 19 April 2011. Another fire erupted in the market in May 2013.
As the market gets increasing congested, many traders have aired concerns ranging from expansion works to be done, improved fire safety to prevention of ejection.
The OR Foundation found that a fire was deliberately set by real estate development firm set fire to part of the market in December 2020. The fire was part of a long series of fires at markets in Accra. And the site had experienced a fire 10 months before.
Redevelopment
In March 2021, the real estate developer
Golden Coast Developers announced a partnership with K''antamanto Traders Association and the Ministry of Railway as well as the Railway Development.''
In culture
Artist
Sel Kofiga documents the cloth trade in the market through upcycling and mixed media art projects.
organizes a similar upcycling company.
The
OR Foundation and artist/activist
Liz Ricketts organized an anti-fashion waste art project called "Dead White Man's Clothes" to examine the waste created by the textile import trade.
References
{{Ghana topics
Retail markets in Ghana
Economy of Accra