Mobile Handset Design Ownership among Traders in Ghana: Fashion or Necessity?

The mobile phone handset has undergone several changes ranging from size, weight, color, and other varied features, with fashion playing a major role in its design. Despite these changes in handsets, mobile phone studies in Africa have largely concentrated on the communication capacity of the handset and the inherent benefits accruing thereof. Considering the varied changes that mobile phone handsets have undergone, what do users consider when deciding to purchase a new handset? Focusing on data obtained from used-clothes traders in Ghana, this article centers on establishing how mobile phone handsets are owned, what features are considered before the decision to own one is made, and finally, how such decisions are associated with age, gender, and level of education with respect to fashion. The article established that younger male traders with higher education are more likely to change their handsets for fashion-related reasons.