Chinese Traders in Ghanaian Markets: A Bag of Threat and Opportunities

Abstract

Although recent analyses on Chinese entrepreneurship in Africa attempt a departure from African opposition and present Africans response as more nuanced. Little is known of the characteristics and considerations that shape the complex positions of Africans to Chinese entrepreneurship in the distribution sector. This paper argues that Ghanaian trade actors' response to the presence of Chinese traders is a function of their socio-demographic characteristics and trading capacity. While the young, educated and large scale importers are opposed to their presence, the old, lowly educated and small scale traders and other allies forge various relationships of mutual benefits with the Chinese.

A Micro-assessment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Realities on Small-Scale Vendors in Ghana: China as a Leveraging Resource

“…The vendor’s assertion perhaps confirms Obeng’s (2018) argument that Chinese traders and products enjoy support within the Ghanaian market. Thus, Ghanaian traders do not necessarily want their removal from the market, albeit some may be dissatisfied with some Chinese traders’ practices.…”

“…Thus, Ghanaian traders do not necessarily want their removal from the market, albeit some may be dissatisfied with some Chinese traders’ practices. The Chinese economic presence enables the small-scale vendors to bypass the restricted economic networks that hitherto excluded them from accessing the market space (Marfaing and Thiel 2013; Obeng 2018). Nevertheless, we need to clarify that the perception that expensive products have quality and usually from the USA or Europe is not entirely the case.…”