Street Hustle Accra: A day in the life of 27-year-old cocoa drink seller at day and utensil washer at night

Today's 'Street Hustle Accra' features Abeiku Adarkwa, 27, a trader who sells cocoa drinks and bread during the day and washes utensils in the evening.

Abeiku migrated from the Central Region to Accra to make ends meet to help his family.

He sells cocoa drinks and bread on the street during the day and goes to a food joint to wash their utensils in the evening.

Abeiku tells us about how he survives with this work.

Morning

I wake up at 5am, then I take a shower, dress up and clean my house. At about 5:30am, I head straight to the bakery and buy my bread.

From there, then I go to where I buy the cocoa drink. Then I pick the drink and then go straight to the street that I sell.

Sales are very active from about 6 am to about 11am. So after this time, I get some free time to eat breakfast then the usual work continues.

Mostly I eat very heavy in the morning so that it can carry me through the day.

So I work through the morning till the food finishes.

Mostly, my first bag of drink finishes around 11am, then I rest small and then go again to the cocoa shop at about 11:40am to buy some to sell during the afternoon.

I also pick more bread so that it will be enough to sell for the afternoon.

Afternoon

Just as in the mornings, my afternoons are also quite busy.

During this time, workers and market women who ate heavily in the morning wanted something chilled and light for the afternoon so that when they go home, they can eat the heavy meals they prepare.

So mostly from about 12noon to 3pm, I make a lot of sales.

By then too, both my cocoa drink and the bread would have finished then I go straight home and drop my things.

By 3:30pm, I would have gotten home and then quickly, I wash the bowl I put the drinks in to sell.

After washing, I put it in a safe place and then rest small.

Evening

Previously, I didn’t have any evening job so I would have either cooked or gone to buy food for the evening, eat, watch tv and then sleep.

Then I got this side job. It’s carrying a food seller’s food to the roadside and then I wash the dishes after people eat.

So at about 5pm, I go straight to the woman’s house.

She sells rice, banku and kokonte in the evenings.

So I carry the food to the vehicle that will drop it at the roadside and then join the vehicle to the roadside.

When we get there, I offload the food from the car and pack it where we will sell them.

Then the woman together with the ladies who help her to sell will come and set up for sales to begin.

When people come to eat there, I pick the plates up and wash them.

This continues till the food finishes.

They give me some of the food to eat too so that’s always my dinner.

When the food finishes, I pick the utensils that were used and then I wash them too.

Then the vehicle comes back to pick them and then I get paid and go straight home.

At about 10:30pm, I should have reached home.

Then I take a shower and go straight to bed.

Best moments

It's really interesting when I have to go to work. It's better than staying home and at least I get quite some money.

This is an honest job and I am proud of it.

Challenges

Combing two jobs in Ghana is hectic but I don't have a choice. I am able to save the little money I get and even send some to my family in the village.

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.

I have realised that hard work pays and so I am not giving up. With perseverance, I will pull through.

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