The city of Ho is witnessing a vibrant economic upswing as first-year students report to Senior High Schools (SHSs) across the municipality for the 2025/2026 academic year.
The influx of students and their families has sparked brisk business activity for tricycle operators, food vendors, and photographers.
At Ola Girls Senior High School, described by locals as “the boiling point”, tricycle operators, popularly known as Cando or Keke, are cashing in by ferrying students and luggage between the school gate and assembly hall.
Fares range from GH¢10 to GH¢20, depending on the load and distance, marking a profitable period for operators.
Food vendors stationed near the school entrance are also recording higher-than-usual sales as parents and students flock to buy snacks and meals throughout the day and into the night.
Photographers have joined the economic buzz, offering instant passport photo services to new students for documentation. “This is our peak season. We can take up to 100 pictures a day,” a local photographer said.
A similar business boom has been observed around Mawuli School and Mawuko Girls Senior High School, where excited freshers, anxious parents, and opportunistic traders have flooded the area.
Street hawkers selling school supplies, stationery, and beverages are making good sales as the city’s hospitality and transport sectors experience a temporary surge in demand.
Officials of the Ghana Education Service (GES) say the nationwide school reporting exercise for newly admitted SHS students has been largely smooth. The Public Relations Officer of the GES confirmed that a three-day reporting window, from Saturday, October 18 to Monday, October 20 was provided for all freshers to report to their assigned schools.
“We visited various campuses to ensure students were being received and integrated properly,” the spokesperson said. “Although the process started a bit slowly due to internet challenges in some schools, things quickly improved.”
The monitoring teams observed that most schools had successfully commenced orientation and accommodation arrangements for the students, despite minor congestion and logistical challenges.
GES officials assured parents that all first-year students who have reported will be properly settled as they begin their academic journey under the Free SHS Programme.
For local businesses, however, this annual admission period continues to be one of the most profitable seasons of the year, injecting short-term income into the city’s informal economy while marking the start of a new academic cycle for thousands of young Ghanaians.
