Gaoua's covered market is the trading hub for the surrounding Lobi countryside. It runs every day but follows a five-day cycle — every fifth day, traders from villages across Poni Province pour into town and the market expands across the surrounding streets. Stallholders sell yams, peanuts, shea butter, dried fish from the Black Volta, locally fermented millet beer, and woven cloth.
For visitors, the small Lobi craft section — at the back of the main hall and along the southern edge — is the most interesting: terracotta figures, ironwork, painted gourds, woven baskets, and the small bronze charms (gri-gri) that Lobi people still carry for protection. Prices are reasonable; ask about provenance before buying anything that looks old or ritually significant.