Koforidua Beads Market

The Koforidua Beads Market is a weekly beads and crafts market in Koforidua, the capital of Ghana's Eastern Region. The New Juaben South Municipal Assembly, which provides the site, describes it as one of the largest and most celebrated bead markets in Africa and a centre of Ghanaian bead culture. The market is believed to have existed in some form for more than 200 years; the current market was built around 1921, and traders have met there every Thursday since 1928.

The market sits in the Gallaway neighbourhood, next to Koforidua Jubilee Park, in the New Juaben South Municipality. The municipal assembly places it in Koforidua town rather than at Aburi, which resolves a discrepancy in some outside accounts. It is a dedicated market facility with shops, open-sided stalls and table-top displays.

Traders stock beads made from recycled glass, brass, clay, bone, shells, bauxite and aluminium, alongside imported beads. Goods are sourced from Krobo Odumase, Somanya, Kumasi and Accra. Prices range from about one cedi for a string of waist beads to thousands of dollars for rare antique Chevron beads. In Ghana, beads carry cultural significance and are used in naming ceremonies, Dipo initiation, weddings and funerals, and by traditional rulers.

The market is held every Thursday, with trading beginning between 6 and 7 am. There are no gates to open or shut, and opening hours are described as flexible. Entry is free, and visitors are encouraged to make purchases or engage with vendors.

Koforidua lies roughly 85–90 km from Accra, about 1.5 to 2.5 hours by road. Because the market convenes on a single weekday, timing a visit around Thursday is the main planning consideration.