Anatomy of a Bushmeat Commodity Chain in Takoradi, Ghana

Abstract

Bushmeat, the meat of wild animals, is a highly valuable non-timber forest product in West and Central Africa. The trade in this commodity is currently of great interest to development and conservation agencies, due to concern over the sustainability of its use and the implications of its loss for poor rural households. In this study, we describe the bushmeat commodity chain that supplies the city of Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana. There are five primary actors in the trade: commercial hunters and farmer hunters, all of whom are men based in local rural areas; and wholesalers, market traders and chopbar owners, all of whom are women based in the city. Bushmeat is freely traded between all actors and actor groups, but the main trade route is from commercial hunters to wholesalers to chopbars. Wholesalers are the smallest actor group but handle the largest per capita market share, whilst chopbars are the most numerous group and together account for 85 per cent of retail sales. The costs of participating in the trade appear to be lowest for hunters and highest for chopbar owners. Kin support networks play an important role in minimizing these costs, especially with respect to entry costs (nearly half of all bushmeat traders inherit their business) and labour costs (many employees are family members); kin also assist in other ways, especially through sharing knowledge and supplying credit. Amongst the urban actors, the bushmeat trade as a whole is perceived as a low-status occupation, although individual reputation remains important. In Takoradi, the bushmeat trade is largely unregulated by either state or local institutions, and there is no evidence of any individual actors or actor groups exerting control over the market. Hunters make significant profits, indicating that the bushmeat trade has the potential to make a substantial economic contribution to rural households. In contrast, urban actors appear to make relatively small profits. Comparison with the existing literature suggests that the structure and operation of the bushmeat trade in Takoradi is typical of the trade in many other parts of West Africa.