Kokonte expenditure in Ghana: patterns from GLSS3 data (NRI report no. 2382)

The impetus for this research came from the findings of a previous report, which recommended the use of Ghana Living Standards Survey Round 3 (GLSS3) data to study kokonte expenditure patterns in Ghana. Such research was necessary to: confirm previously gathered anecdotal evidence on kokonte expenditure; test hypotheses regarding consumer preferences for kokonte; provide background information for a forthcoming kokonte consumer survey; and assist the targeting of potential technology transfer projects. The research concluded that the biggest kokonte spenders came from Northern Region, Upper East Region, Greater Accra Region and Central Region. The smallest spenders were from Brong Ahafo, Eastern Region, Western Region and Upper West region. Data on kokonte prices was also collected during GLSS3. Unfortunately, large gaps appear in the price series. Despite this, two price patterns emerged. First, urban areas which were furthest from areas of kokonte production seemed to experienced higher prices. The high cost of Ghanaian transport explains this finding. Second, prices in many of Ghana's ten regions experienced a peak between the beginning of April and the end of July 1992. Typically during this period, kokonte supply is low and demand is high due to the unavailability of other food items. The analysis is developed by focusing on expenditure in Accra. Accra households whose origins lie in Central Region, Greater Accra and Ashanti were found to be under-represented among kokonte consuming households in Accra. Those households which were "over-represented" hailed from Eastern Region, Upper East Region and Northern Region. By and large, these results confirm expectations and coincide with results from previous sections of this report. Finally, the Accra analysis examines the relationship between income, family size and kokonte expenditure. The research provides no conclusive evidence that kokonte is an inferior good. However, the report concludes that large Accra households tend to exploit the relative cheapness of ...