Makola Market, Central marketplace in Accra, Ghana

Makola Market fills the centre of Accra, where stalls and surrounding streets sell everything from fresh produce, clothing, shoes and beads to car parts and land snails. Women traders run most of the stalls, and goods range from imported foods and medicines to pots, pans and school uniforms.

Makola Market was built in Accra in 1924 and became the city's main wholesale and retail marketplace. On 18 August 1979, 55 years after its creation, the Rawlings government demolished it, arguing that banned goods sold there and the market women were behind Ghana's economic problems.

Women dominate the trading activities here, managing stalls and engaging with customers throughout the day. The way people shop and negotiate reflects how commerce has always worked in this part of the city.

The market operates daily from morning until evening, with the busiest periods happening in late morning and early afternoon. Plan to move slowly through the crowds and keep valuables secure while you explore the various sections.

In 2017 the environment minister, Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, said some traders were treating salted tilapia, known as koobi, with formalin, a cancer-causing preservative. Sellers rejected the claim and said sales fell after the story spread. The market also appeared in the Ghana episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, where he drank a condensed milk-toffee drink made with local herbs.