Google Trader brings in the funk to Accra with Wanlov and others

I have been watching some fun pictures by Rodney Quarcoo on the internet about how Google literally brought Accra to a standstill with the public launch of its new product Google Trader. It is a free online classifieds service that allows Ghanaians to buy and sell products and services, as well as search for jobs or just about anything else.

The launch took the crew through Makola, Kwame Nkrumah Circle Lorry Park, the Oxford Street of Osu, Akuafo Hall  in Legon, and the Accra Mall, where the public was spellbound with a professionally crafted chorographic antics that would eventually be transformed into a video clip for the online community.

With scores of young men and women dressed in Google t-shirts performing well choreographed dance moves; and music from the likes of Wanlov the public were left guessing as they sipped in the fun. When I first saw the pictures I started wondering what was going on, and so I wonder what those who witnessed the flash mob were thinking as nobody expected to see such a spectacle on the day.  After following a few links on Facebook and Twitter, and of course using Google to search, I came to find out more about the event and voila!

The Google Trader service seems to be catching on fast with traders in the capital in particular as some have already listed items from livestock to stationery. According to Google, Trader can be used by anyone in Ghana, but is expected to have the biggest uptake in major towns and cities across the country. According to a press statement, “Individuals can post short ads to buy and sell items and services, whilst businesses of any size can also use the site to reach more customers and increase their sales.”

The Country Lead for Google Ghana Estelle Akofio-Sowah commented:  “We are excited about Trader because it’s free, easy to use, and locally relevant. Having a web version, a mobile web version and an SMS option means that Trader is accessible to everyone, no matter where you are.”

To make sure that Trader is easily accessible to users across Ghana, Google has partnered with AIRTEL and TIGO to offer a FREE SMS option. Users can subscribe by texting START to 6007 on any Airtel or Tigo phone and can start posting and selling straight away.