Market Women
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Cecilia Mansa, Mamobi, Accra

Cecilia Mansa is sixty-eight years old and lives at Mamobi in Accra. She sells bread on small scale at Mamobi. She has eight sons. Cecilia says she had sold bread to see her children through school. Two of her children are graduate teachers who attended the University of Cape Coast, two others studied crop science, the next two run their own businesses. The seventh child is a banker while the last child has completed his first degree at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi.

According to her, the business of selling bread is not as lucrative as it used to be in the past. However, she made enough profit for the children’s school fees and the general upkeep of the family. Recently, she realised that a lot of people in her area have also gone into the bread business, making the market competitive and slowing down sales, so she decided to do something different.

Four years ago, the St. Kizito branch of the Christian Mothers Association introduced batik and tye-dye making to the association. She took advantage of the opportunity to learn a new trade. Presently, she produces tie and dye on large scale for her daughter-in-law who lives in the Eastern Region to sell on commission basis. She advised young mothers to give the best of their time, energy and financial resources to their wards, forgoing impulse buying and excessive spending because it is these children who would take care of them in their old age. She also advised them to put God first in all their endeavours so they can achieve success in life.