A Quick Gastronomical "Journey" to See A Ghanaian Salad

Come with me...

...anyone for a Ghanaian salad?;-) It includes boiled eggs, and baked beans...

Tags:
ghanaian salad ; ghana salad; ghana gastronomy ; accra ; accra food;

A Snapshot of an "E-Media--Delivery & Gathering of Information with ICT" at West Africa's Landmark ICT Centre

Yes. I do believe that if you're a regular visitor, you have already seen this picture, or something like it here. Trumpets blow, pls. It's the so-called "Ghana-India Kofi Annan ICT Centre of Excellence". A cumbersome title indeed, and a cumbersome URL, to boot!: http://www.aiti-kace.com.gh Truth be told, however, it is the sub-region of West Africa's quintessential ICT Centre, with state-of-the-art computers, and a place, where there is regular ICT hub-bub-ing, of sorts;-)

Here is the entrance into the building. You first have to go through a narrow gate (I guess to register your presence, 'cos when you don't, a man hisses at you (classic call to strangers in Ghana) motioning you to pass through). I took this picture yesterday as I made the intrepid step to attend the open "seminar" on "e-media". On the panel were reputed journalists from Ghana's local scene (you can check out the names here) in radio, newspaper editting, including the Africa correspondent for the BBC Kwaku Sakyi-Addo, and former editor of Ghana's premier Saturday paper Daily Mirror...who is also my former boss at work!;-)

Here's a snapshot of the audience who appeared to be listening intently to ideas on whether the new tools for the media (mini-disc; Cool-Edit software; video camera with laser backup discs(!); etc) will as much as hinder us as they will help journalists improve news-writing...and the journalist!! (given how blogging is threatening to take over the qualified jorunalists)

To the right is Dorothy Gordon, DIrector-General of the ICT Centre, and to the left is Kwaku Sakyi-Addo. His brief profile is enviable: Kwaku Sakyi-Addo is a freelance journalist working part-time for BBC World service as a television correspondent. An experienced journalist and television presenter in Ghana, Sakyi-Addo has conducted many roundtables for the media in his country. Sakyi-Addo is interested in using journalism as a means for improving the lives of persons involved in the urban agriculture food production chain. from: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-93818-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

Tags:
e-media; ghana media ; accra ; ghana ict ; ghana ict journalism ; ghana journalism ; kofi annan ict centre ; ecowas ; ecowas ict; bbc africa ; kwasi gyan-apenteng ;ghana mirror ;ghana;ghana journalists ;ofori-atta ;citifm ;

Ghana's Protocol Car Arrives at Accra's World Bank Office

This would hardly be news had it not been for the fact that this ostensibly-odd-registered number plate (by Ghanaian number plate standards, where there are TWO letters indicating the region (AS/GR/GT/GE/BA, etc...), followed by four digits, and a single letter) is the number plate--so I am told--that the security services and protocol use [SPD=Security? Protocol Department?] to dispatch high officials and pleni-potentiaries. That's ambassadors and international civil servants to you and me;-) The "GV" at the end of the plate is a give-away. In Ghana, any car whose registration number begins with "GV" is short for "Government Vehicle".


The serious-looking man is a protocol officer, holding the hand of a visibly-aged former Interim President of Liberia Her Excellency Ruth Sando-Perry who was in Accra for Africa's first-ever [three-day] "International Media Summit", which saw former CNN anchor Tumi Makagbo in Accra facilitating a session, as well as obtaining many photo-ops(see picture to the left).


I managed, with my discerning camera technique[;-)], to capture her on Tuesday evening as she walked away from a photo-op. For some reason, Ghanaians are not that enamored about a former CNN anchor being in town...

The outside of the World Bank office in Accra, in a rather plush compound, replete with the characteristic Ghanaian greenery of palm trees, coconut trees, et al.

Finally, just to prove I was at the summit, here's a picture of yours truly...doing something;-)Stretching a cheesy grin, I do believe;-))

In sum, a series of pictures to apologise, of sorts, and explain the absence the past few days...

Have a good weekend!

technorati tags:
africa media summit ;
accra media summit ;
accra media ;
accra ;
ghana media ;
tumi makagbo ;
ghana protocol
ghana cars
ghana number plates
ghana world bank

This is a Snapshot of Accra's Spintex Road at Night...

...and, sure, it looks dark. That is because for despite all the so-called wisdom of our government, none of the members of the administration have seen it fit to have STREETLIGHTS set up on this road that spans some 10kilometres, plus. As I am not seeking to re-invent the wheel, let me just point to a quote I made in my other blog, in April, here:

The Spintex Road in Accra is one of the fastest-growing, traffic-inducing roads just outside the Accra Metropolis. It leads to Teshie-Nungua, and onto Tema. From that road, you reach the famous (or should that be infamous?) Tetteh-Quarshie Interchange, where you either get confused by the structure or follow the automobile crowd.

from: http://ekbensahinghana.blogspot.com/2006/04/accras-spintex-road-makes-eponymous.html

You can watch the video -- just to see how it feels to drive there -- here: http://ekbensahinghana.blogspot.com/2006/04/video-clip-driving-on-accras-spintex.html

Suffice to say, I am far from proud of this obscurity, but I am one of the breed of people who believe sincerely that a constant reminder, and explicit and irreverent reminder of these things...does get results. There is a "Spintex Brief" magazine, set up earlier this year, which is being used to advocate many issues of pertinence to the Spintex Road area, which also happens to be an area of increasing "middle class-ness".

If you're Ever in East Legon, You Might as Well Try It's Internet Cafe

You could alternatively go and buy a ticket to New York, Nairobi, or London? Check those prices out! Are these 'standard' prices elsewhere? In any event, these two doors constitute part of the shops at 'Anum Yemoh Plaza'.


I should probably remind you that you can go check Kalss Inn website here

On the Thumbnails and Pictures

 

Esteemed readers and visitors, many thanks for visiting my blog. I also truly appreciate the comments.

 

As regards the pictures, I agree that the thumbnails are too small, but you can click on them to view the picture a bit better through flickr.com.

 

When I signed up, I accidentally selected thumbnails in flickr.com, and now do not know where to go to change the selection. Anyone who knos how to do that would be doing me a great favour by providing instructions!

 

Many thanks;-)

emmanuel

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road in Accra?

fruit-eastlegon,
originally uploaded by ekbensah.

...because it wanted to stay healthy by buying some fruit!:-)

You might re-call that during the World Cup febrility, I posted a picture of two young men looking at newspapers trumpetting how Ghana had beaten the USA (you can re-visit here) ?

Well, just across the road, only a few months later, are these stalls established--you might say--by the hard-working and enterprising Ghanaian women, who chose to sell whatever they can on any stall...anywhere!

This time, it's fruit: oranges, pineapples; bananas, which you can get a bunch of four for just 2,000 Ghanaian cedis. Divide that by 9000, and you get "0.21634368357572842". That's $0.21 cents.

Is that cheap by any stretch of the imagination? If so, roll on! buy some fruit!:-))

If so, Why is Ghana on a National (electricity) Load Shedding Programme...

VRA poster at May ICT seminar in Accra,
originally uploaded by ekbensah.

...for the "first fifteen days", suggesting that it may be longer?

This question and post has great resonance with this precious post here.

Good news, though! It rained last night; I understand the level of the dam has increased!! Each working day, the Daily Graphic (Ghana's flagship newspaper (even if full of ads!!) ) has been publishing the minimum level the dam should be at, the maximum level, and where we are at currently.

I expect to see a slight increase on condition of the rain we had last night...

fingers crossed!

thankyou to all you insightful visitors for your comments:-)

tags:ghana rain

Hotels are Always Superficially Attractive...

a glimpse of Mplaza Hotel in August 2006,
originally uploaded by ekbensah.

...because what always counts in the end are many things, including quality of service; response-to-request-speed; inter alia--not to mention the food.

I haven't stayed at M-Plaza Hotel before, which is a a rather plush hotel located in the greener part of Accra in a place called Roman Ridge, just some ten minutes away from the Kotoka International Airport (Ghana's national airport) [and this link on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotoka_International_Airport, but it sure looks like a nice ambience--even if the smell of that anti-mosquitoe spray the man is spraying had far from a welcoming one!;-)

have a good weekend!:-)

you can check out the hotel's site here:http://www.mplaza-hotel.com/

tags:accra; mplaza hotel; accra hotels; ghana hotels; roman ridge; roman ridge ghana