Majority of Ghanaian men are increasingly living with the conviction that their manhood could be increased in size by buying and applying some herbs of a sort.
At the Kwame Nkrumah circle, some traders appear to have found penis enlargement medicines a lucrative product to market to the thousands of potential buyers milling along the alleyways of the major transport hub.
Walking through the maze of stalls, a curious eye cannot miss the swell in signboards asking people to try local concoctions touted to possess the capacity to enlarge manhood.
Baba Ali and Razak have been offering quack solutions to men who feel small.
Two huge wooden carved penis sitting on a receptacle of herbs and pointing to the main circle interchange together with several other receptacles which contains different kinds of herbs.
The striking artifact greets road users who use the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
It is likely that some of these artifacts are carved to fulfill some fantasy ideal of what a real man should look like.
Some of the road users who are men increasingly, come in search of a larger penis.
The concoction involved making small preparation of the herbs for one to add to a porridge which will be taken every morning and a cream that will be used to smear the penis.
One such user is 40 year old ‘Uncle’ not real name. Uncle had originally come to the Kwame Nkrumah circle, the hub for most to these penal enlargement herbs to have some herbs prepared for his nephew after being mocked for not having a large amount of weight.
“I’ believe in herbs,” he told me because of its “efficacy.”
Another user I met, confirmed the potency saying it has increased his size more than normal.
However, Mathew Kyei, an urologist at the Korle Bu teaching hospital disagreed. He told me in an interview that it is quackery to claim such herbs may increase the size of one’s penis.
Dr. Kyei goes further, pointing out that there’s no scientific support for concoctions that enlarge the penis and said patrons may have to battle attempts to become permanently bigger.
He explained that the men who go for such products actually have problems with erection and must seek professional medical attention.
Chief executive officer of the mental health authority, Ghana, Dr. Akwesi Osei agreed saying “there may be some underlying psychological issues.”
Baba said he has overcome many of such psychological challenges and sitting behind the array of drugs in bottles and tiny receptacles he pulls out a framed certificate from the ministry of health coupled with his membership of the Ghana Muslim traditional healers association.
Penis enlargements now make up half the Baba Ali’s work, bringing in around thousands of Cedis a year in revenue.
But, head of Drug Enforcement Department at the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Thomas Amedzro said the authority has not approved penal enlargement products in Ghana. He said it is illegal to sell such products on the Ghanaian market as such remedies are ineffective, and can cause permanent damage to the penis.
That notwithstanding, the rationale behind this craze is unusual as the majority of people, who spoke with the DAILY HERITAGE seek not just a bigger penis, but a better life.
The increasing exposure of these carved artifacts and the sign posts helps to fuel a rising sense of inadequacy among many men and penis enlargement concoction has become a growth business.