”Obroni”, as most light skinned foreigners are affectionately called form the vast majority of tourists who visit Ghana. They are a unique group of adventurous travelers who defy all odds to explore our beautiful country and continent while learning new things and experiencing new cultures in the process. The minority of such tourists are also dark skinned Africans and Black-Americans who also travel down here to enjoy the beauty, history and rich tradition of Ghana. It usually is cash intensive to travel from other countries/continents to Ghana as well as stay for long periods. Sometimes, these tourists are forced to return to their homelands because they are short of cash although they may not have completed their planned tours or achieved their objectives.There are many ways in which a tourist can earn some money to supplement what he/she budgeted for the trip. Sometimes you may not have planned the extra days stay but seeing how beautiful and rich Ghana is, you may need a few more days to fully enjoy what we have to offer. With this comes extra pressure on your already hit budget. Jumia Travel looks at a few lucrative short term businesses for tourists in Ghana.
1. Sale of Souvenirs/paraphernalia
Undoubtedly one of the quickest means a tourist in Ghana can raise some money. Ghana has a lot of souvenirs that many foreigners pay huge sums of money to acquire. Something just to prove that they have been to Ghana or even for the memories. They come in many forms such as branded mugs, scarfs, t-shirts,sculptures, beads, cloth etc. These items are generally found in supermarkets, the airport, antique shops and several small vendors spread across the city. They can be very expensive especially when the seller realizes the buyer is not a local.Tourists can take on this business and it works both ways. Either they bring certain unique souvenirs or paraphernalia from their countries of origin to sell to Ghanaians at affordable prices or they sell Ghanaian souvenirs to other tourists or visitors are discounted prices. Either way, they are sure to make some good money out of these sales.
2. Consultancy
Quite often, we come across many tourists who are well educated and specialized in a particular field of endeavour. Many tourists are either doctors, lawyers, engineers, marketers, entrepreneurs or entertainers who take some time off their busy schedules to visit Ghana on vacation. During this time, they can still earn some extra cash by doing what they do best while getting paid well for it.With the schedule for tours already planned,tourists can do some consultancy work on a freelance basis. Giving expert advice as and when solicited. This is a very good way to get some good money while doing what you love doing and still have time for a great holiday.
3. Photography
A tourist without a good camera is like a student without a pen.Capturing special moments, places and people makes the tourists trip worth the money and time spent. If you come along with a good camera, then please ensure to make some money out of it. These days, photography is a trending business. Having a passion for it gives you an added advantage and with just a little training via online photography books and courses, you are ready to make some extra cash. With many events week-in/ week-out, be sure to make some good money taking photos. Weddings,parties, corporate events, fun trips etc are just a few of the many events where people hire professional photographers these days. Even on tour, you can take pictures of special sites ,frame them and sell to many others who haven’t had the opportunity of visiting those places or even visited there but have no memory of the place.
4. Home tutoring
If you are a home person who doesn’t like going out much, then this is for you. After your usual tours, you can get a job tutoring some children in their homes on basic things. Mathematics, English language and Basic science are among the many problems many children encounter in school. You can capitalize on this by researching on these topics and teaching little kids at home. You can even add certain unique topics such as sewing, bead-making and computer skills. These are usually after school hours and gives you the freedom to do other things during the day until the kids close from school.
5. International kitchen
Truth be told, eating the same meal over and over again can be very frustrating. Today banku, tomorrow waakye and the next day Kenkey. Even when you decide to do something continental, all you can do is fried rice & chicken, potato chips & chicken or some strange looking soup. Tourists come from so many different cultures and continents with various cuisines. Now this can play to your advantage if you are a tourist in Ghana. You can start your own international kitchen and prepare some mouth-watering dishes for sale. Just ensure that the food is relatively cheap, tastes good and comes out very attractive. Maybe, you have no place to prepare these meals because you live in a hotel or guesthouse. You can try finding a small space for rent in that area or start with snacks and other foreign desserts that you can prepare in your room.
Financial handicap is terrible and even more so when you get stuck in a foreign country. You can try any of these ideas or come up with something you can do in Ghana to earn you some extra cash for the short term. Depending on how successful it turns out and your future plans, you can return after your first stay to do this business on a longer term.
Author : Bennet Otoo, Jumia Travel
