Sankofa Blog
Yɛn adwuma, yɛn nkɔmmɔ.
Work in Ghana explained by the people doing it. Masons, nurses, seamstresses, teachers, drivers, employers, associations and Ghanaians abroad. You do not need to write.
I priced my work wrong for four years. Here is the sum I use now.
Cloth, lining, thread, zip, transport, light bill, and my own hours. I was charging for the cloth and giving away the sewing. Three pictures of one kaba and the real cost behind each stage. I sat down with a biro and added everything I touch in a day. The number I had been quoting was paying the cloth seller and the light company, not me. Now I write the sum out for every customer before I agree a price, and I have not gone home empty since.
Abena Serwaa · Seamstress · Ho · 38 years
From the community
Sankofa Verified Employer Hiring Drive — October
This month we are featuring verified employers actively hiring across Ghana. Every employer on this list has passed Ghana Card and business verification. Apply with confidence — your application goes straight to the hiring manager.
Sankofa Office
Sankofa Team · Accra
New standard rates for tailored work, effective November
The Ashanti Regional Tailors and Dressmakers Association has agreed new standard rates for kaba and slit, dresses and school uniforms, effective 1 November. Members are asked to display the rate card in their shops. This protects both tailors and customers from undercharging and disputes.
Tailors and Dressmakers Association
Tailors and Dressmakers Association
Association · Ashanti Regional
How do you price a kaba and slit fairly when the customer brings their own cloth?
When the customer brings their own cloth, how do you account for lining, thread, zip, transport and your time — without losing money or scaring them away? I want to hear how other seamstresses quote this honestly.
Most answers say: price the cloth separately from the making, and quote the making as labour + lining + thread + zip. A few employers warned against quoting too low.
23 answers, including 2 employers and 1 ambassador
Adwoa Sew
Seamstress · Kumasi
Building a door frame that does not twist: a carpenter's method
A door frame that twists in the first rains is a carpenter who did not let the wood rest. I show how I select, dry and joint a frame that stays true f…
Yaw Carpenter
Carpenter · Kumasi, Ashanti
Sparks, steel and a steady hand: 19 years on the bench in Suame
Spoken in Twi. English text ready.
I started welding at fifteen, holding the rod for my uncle. Today I run my own bench in Suame. People think welding is just running a bead. The real w…
Kwabena Owusu
Welder · Suame, Ashanti
Why I came home after seven years in London
Spoken in Twi. English text ready.
I packed two bags and came back to Kumasi. People ask me if I regret it. I do not. I miss the pay cheque, not the life. Here is what I told my younger…
Kwame Boateng
Diaspora returnee · Kumasi
First job as a teacher: what nobody told me about the first term
My first term in a basic school in Cape Coast nearly broke me. The syllabus, the PTA, the chalk, the children who had not eaten. Here is what I wish a…
Akosua Frimpong
Teacher · Cape Coast
From the office: a manager on what actually gets you promoted
Spoken in English.
I have promoted twelve people in eight years. It is never the loudest one. It is the one who solves the problem before I hear about it. I explain what…
Yaw Mensah
Operations Manager · Accra
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