The economic crisis in Ghana appears to be hitting every industry, with commercial sex workers taking the brunt of the economic crisis.
The majority of commercial sex from Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria has been paraded for years on select well-known streets in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
Many of them claim that up until recently, their prices ranged from 50 (seven dollars) for a brief session that lasts between 15 and 20 minutes to 300 (forty dollars) for an entire night.
Despite their courageous approach to the trade, they always meet some clients who make them question their choice of work.
“Some people don’t cum quick. If you know you don’t release early you have to give her more money. You have to pay the girl well to make her happy,” one of the sex workers said in a report cited by local media.
The sex workers are unable to please their clients at the same rates they previously charged due to the rise in gas prices, which has affected the prices of goods and services in the majority of countries around the world.
Most sex workers have hiked their fees by up to 100%. Some of the city’s trade hubs are Lapaz, Cantonments, Osu, and East Legon.
One of them, Vivian, said though sales were slowing down gradually, her income saw a brief uptick at some point in December last year as she “was taking ¢200 for short.”
However, the New Year came with an uncomfortable situation, creating the need for a commensurate upward adjustment in her charges.
“There has been an increase in goods lately. To pay my rent is difficult now and because of that, I have increased my price,” she said.
“Food these days is very expensive. I clothe myself, and the rest of that. So I can’t reduce my price.”
This persistence on not backing down on her new rates is now beginning to cut both ways.
This is because the same financial challenges that the country is facing are holding her clients from seeking her services.
“That is chasing my clients away,” she lamented.
She pleaded with authorities to provide austerity measures that will ensure a flourishing economy.
“Things have become very difficult for us so they should reduce some of the goods.”
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, is expected to communicate key measures and reliefs sanctioned by the government to recover the economy later this week, after a crunch three-day Cabinet retreat chaired by President Akufo-Addo.
According to the Information Ministry, details on some of the reliefs will include the reopening of land borders, the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, and measures to arrest the depreciating cedi.
While the country awaits these interventions, clients of these sex workers may have no option but to find a middle ground between satisfaction and strong finances.
