Paper short abstract:

This paper examines women's economic power through the lens of selected market women from the Ashanti region of Ghana. The study concludes that women use traditional ownership of the market by Asantehemaa to leverage social, political, and economic power for their trading activities.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the relationship between Asantehemaa's court, market women, and market/commodity queens from selected markets in the Ashanti region of Ghana. I examine how women ensure that their economic power is not diminished but rather leverage their relationship with traditional space to secure their economic interest even against the state apparatus such as the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly. The Informal economy is the largest sector in the Ghanaian economy- accounting for almost 35.6% of the Gross Domestic Product. This sector is largely occupied by the poor and vulnerable which includes women. The marketplace is where such informality is largely concentrated. The study was derived from an ethnographic study of customary dispute resolution at the Asantehemaa’s court in Kumasi which further led me to interrogate market women and their connections to the court. The market women form associations with similar interests in trade to wield both political and economic power. Their leaders are referred to as market/commodity queens corrupted as 'helliman'. These queens have considerable access to the seat of Asante traditional governance; Asantehene and Asantehemaa, channeling their grievances through them. Thus, market women leverage their economic power by employing a social network of persons in the traditional circles leading to influence in political circles. They draw political power from both local and state sources. The queens use their position as market representatives on the market management board to bid for commercial space for their members and discuss market-related issues such as sanitation, taxes, tolls, and fines with the KMA.