Finding a reliable artisan just got easier thanks to these digital artisan platforms in Ghana. Sort of.
It was Workers Day yesterday and while corporate Ghana logged off and shut down, the local plumbers, masons, electricians and carpenters were still sweating under the blazing Accra sun.
For artisanal workers, taking a public holiday just means losing a day’s pay. Ironically, holidays are exactly when the rest of us finally stay home long enough to fix that leaking pipe or broken door. That leaves the best artisans totally overbooked. If you don’t already have a reliable guy on speed dial, or a plug that can connect you to a handyman quickly, you’re probably living with that broken sink until the next holiday rolls around.
To honor the hustle today and help you get your home sorted without the usual stress, here are a few digital platforms where you can easily find and hire reliable artisans in Ghana.
In no particular order:
- Ayuda: All-in-one Artisan App
- Taskdey: The Polished One
- Jobbhey: E-Commerce Meets Hardware
- Maariba: The Offline Lifeline
- Jiji x Tonaton: The Informal Way
Taskdey
Taskdey connects clients and skilled vocational workers across Ghana and Africa. Whether you need an electrician, plumber, tailor, cleaner, painter, or mechanic — Taskdey helps you find trusted professionals quickly.
With just a few taps, you can post a job request, get matched with nearby workers, compare profiles, and hire with confidence.
What’s written above is what Taskdey says about itself. It is the most polished looking platform on the list. Taskdey, is available as a mobile app (Android and iOS) and claims to have 1,000+ users and 500+ verified workers.
Check out Taskdey.
Jobbhey
Jobbhey’s mission is to “make building easy again” and it does this in three ways:
- a handyman app to easily find skilled professionals (for handyman and construction needs)
- artisanal empowerment with job and financial growth opportunities.
- online hardware store where you can purchase a range of products (from floor tiles, to toilets)
Jobbhey’s aims to instantly connect you with skilled handymen in Ghana primarily for home repair and maintenance. If you have to purchase any parts and don’t trust your artisan, you can easily check via Jobbhey. That adds another layer of trust and is perhaps why the app has over 10,000 downloads in the Android PlayStore and a 4.9 rating out of 39 reviews. To be fair, the last reviews were from 2024 so this is due for another check-in.
Check out Jobbhey.
Ayuda
Ayuda is the oldest and the most robust platform on the list.
Ayuda offers two service tiers, Ayuda Premium (express priority access to Ayuda service providers) and Ayuda Flex (service only happens when your offer is accepted). There’s also a Wallet feature where you can manage funds (send, receive) and track payments.
Over 10,000 downloads, 208 reviews, a 4.8 user rating on the Android PlayStore (it’s 5 stars out of 9 reviews on the iOS App Store) and a super responsive team tell me Ayuda is the king of the digital artisanal space.
Check out Ayuda.
Maariba
The hook for Maariba is simple – Mobile data in Ghana is expensive! A heavy mobile app is completely useless if you’re low on battery and need an electrician to come fix your wiring. Maariba solves this with an offline USSD code. You just dial *711*722# to connect to their referral network so you can be paired with a professional. Maariba offers services from home (plumbers, painters, electricians, masons, CCTV installers) to car (mechanics, auto electricians) and more. Maariba isn’t limited to the USSD alone. There’s also an app (for both iOS and Android) and a web version.
Be careful though. I discovered a possible malware threat while trying to navigate their blog. It pops up when trying to verify that you’re a human and not a bot. I have reached out to Maariba on this and will update this article once that’s been take care of.
Jiji x Tonaton
These are not artisan platforms, but we use them as one anyway. Search “electrician Accra” or “plumber Tema” on either Tonaton or Jiji and you’ll find artisans who’ve listed themselves directly.
Much like the online real estate platforms, Jiji & Tonaton are simply upgraded client pools where local artisans can tap from. Use them with the same caution you’d use asking a stranger for a recommendation. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.
The Ones That Didn’t Make It
A quick Google search for digital artisan platforms will show you a few other options that have long since collapsed, like the government built GHartisans portal (run by the Youth Employment Agency).
Its death is no surprise. It was a government digital project, and in Ghana, those tend to have the lifespan of the administration that built it. The access to only trained, certified professionals was brilliant. The politics of not carrying on the legacy of a different party though, not so much.
The rest — FastFixHub, Jack App Gh, ServGo — are harder to account for. No post-mortems, no founders talking publicly about what went wrong. They existed, then they didn’t, or at least, haven’t been updated the public in forever. This is hardly unusual. The question is what the survivors are doing differently, and whether “surviving” and “thriving” are the same thing yet.
To these apps, I say, rest in digital peace.
Not Perfect, But It’s a Start
None of these platforms are perfect. But they’re real, they’re trying, and they’re more than we had. For the artisan who needs steady work beyond the family WhatsApp group, they’re a proper shop window. For the rest of us trying to fix that leaking pipe without getting played in the process, or delayed for 3 days and/or worse, a no-show, they’re a start. The wahala isn’t over but at least we have somewhere to begin.
One thing nobody tells you when you’re renting or buying in Ghana is that often times, the house is only as good as the people you can get to maintain it. A reliable artisan on speed dial is not a luxury. It’s what turns a place you live into a place you can actually stay long-term.
