With another day in Ghana ahead of me, I set out bright and early to check out an amazing West African market! Join me as I explore Makola Market, the biggest market in Accra, Ghana and enjoy some delicious West African street food in Accra, Ghana!
My day started at 8 a.m. I’d be heading out to visit Makola Market, the biggest market in Accra, Ghana. It has everything—food, crafts, and much more! I couldn’t wait to check it out, but first, I needed to get some breakfast!
To get something to eat, I stopped at a street food vendor along Oxford Street selling millet porridge. The woman puts it in a bowl and adds sugar and peanuts. She also sells Ghanaian doughnuts, which you eat with the porridge!
My guide Isaac from Jolinaiko Eco Tours and my other guide Nii Laaye and I posted up on the side of the road to eat. The porridge was really smooth and tasty. It had a sweetness from the sugar and was nice and crunchy because of the peanuts.
Dipping the doughnuts into the porridge and sipping the porridge from the bowl was the best. The millet had an almost slimy consistency and was so different from the corn porridge I’d had the day before.
I recommend adding sugar to the porridge, as it would be bland without it. And at only 2.5 cedi ($0.43 USD), it’s an inexpensive and delicious way to fill up in the morning!
After eating, we hopped in the car and drove back through Osu and passed through Independence Square. Traffic can be rough in Accra depending on where you are, but my guides knew the best shortcuts.
We arrived at Makola Market, and immediately I saw tons of activity. From clothing vendors to vegetable vendors to vendors selling exotic food, it was sensory overload! I met a woman selling cow legs and wild giant African snails! I’d never seen snails that big!
I met other vendors selling materials to make leather, dried fish, sour fruits, and more. There was also a man singing and dancing in the lane! There were also bottles of a red oil that come from the palm nut, which is used in red-red.
Further on were bags of local sea salt, which was one of the main forms of currency when colonization occurred. The vendors there were too funny! They kept referring to me as “the white guy” or “the blonde guy.”
I also saw some dried grass that’s used as an exfoliant. There were never-ending stalls, and the market was like a maze. It reminded me of Iewduh Market in Shillong. From there, I came across the fish section, where I saw shrimp, sardines, and other foods. There were also vendors selling pestles, dried tilapia, and chilies.
The green chili was so hot, and the vendor who gave it to me laughed at me! Then, I saw some smoked river fish, cassava, live crabs, and okra. I’d never been to a market this big! Just remember to come with a guide and ask all vendors if it’s okay to film or take pictures.
I arrived at the fabric section. You can bring fabric to them and they’ll add designs to it. Many of the fabrics are unisex. When a new baby is born, Ghanaian men renew the kitchen buying new pots.
In the center of the market are buildings with vantage points where you can get a bird’s-eye view of the market! Easily 100,000 people were there. I couldn’t believe how big it was!
The craft center is an extension of the market about a 15-minute walk from the center of the market. At the first shop, they had some incredible masks of different sizes, folding tables, carved animals made of ebony, drums, and more. Some of the masks were over 70 years old!
The woodcarvers were all using ebony wood. I watched a man carve a mask right in front of me. Then, I visited a workshop where the masks are then painted and beads and metal are added to some. Then they sand and polish the inside!
Across from the carvers is a shop called Fredgift Enterprise. It’s full of antique masks that are over 70 years old!
They were of people, elephants, birds, and more. Some of them cost at least $500 USD! Then, I went into a shop to buy an official Ghana soccer jersey! When I went back outside, there were lots of people drumming!
What an incredible morning at Makola Market in Accra, Ghana! This is one market experience I will never forget. Huge thanks to Isaac and Nii Laaye for showing me around! I also have to thank my friends at OLMA Colonial Suites for hosting me during my time in Accra!
I hope you liked coming with me to Makola Market in Accra, Ghana! If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss any of my travel/food adventures around the world!
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