My Pet Dog Enjoying the Central Region

Here's a light one for the weekend;-) My pet dog (a golden retriever), Fenix, likes to sit in the backseat of the car when we're travelling together to the Central Region of Ghana.

What could he be thinking about? He looks so serious! Yet there's so many beautiful palm trees passing by him!

Enjoy the weekend!!

Check the Extreme Left: Front of Ghana School of Law

Here's the scene: a taxi going northwards into Accra, with many people milling by on the pavement. There is a school nearby, and schoolchildren (yellow and brown costumes) are making their way...somewhere. There are also traders (pink shirt) left, right, centre.

Talk about social engineering!

Who would have thought that so so close to Makola, which is Accra's biggest and most quintessential market, would be Ghana's Law School--but there it is!

Here's the blurb from elsewhere on the web about the Law School:

The Ghana School of Law was opened in November 1958, the first of its kind in Sub-
Sahara Africa. It is situated in Makola, Accra, close to the Supreme Court.

The first students completed training at the Law School in June 1963. between June 1963 and October 2004, as many as 3,000 lawyers have been trained at the Law School.

In the field of legislative drafting, the Law School has available to it the services of a distinguished and renowned figure in the subject, Professor V C R A C Crabbe as well asPage 5

Mrs Sabina Ofori-Boateng, Mr Gottfried Nikoi and Mrs Estelle Appiah who are all
Ghanaian citizens with extensive experience in legislative drafting.

The Law School has an infrastructure and environment which is conducive to intensive
study. It has a well-stocked library, internet resources and a computer laboratory,
spacious premises and good administrative support.

Who wants to study law?

Jaria Hotel, East Legon

In my series of shameless promotions that will earn me nothing, here is the latest feature: Jaria Hotel.

Located some five minutes drive from A&C Shopping Mall, it packs a claustrophobic punch...in the sense that it looks modern when you step inside, but it's just a tad claustrophobic in terms of the layout--like it was supposed to be a guest house, but they changed their mind mid-stream to turn it into a hotel.

An example of this is the way in which the swimming pool meets you just as you enter the compound. A bit too close for comfort I would say!!

That said, visiting this place over the weekend -- as I did, for a work-related conference -- was not bad. Plenty sun, and plenty water for swimming, if that's your sort of thing!

EIther way, feel free to check out their website here: http://www.jariahotel.com.

Inside Shoprite, Ghana at Accra Mall

Shoprite opened its doors to Ghanaians on 1 November, but I failed to blog about it, believing it to be more of the same. I chaged my mind last night when I was there--armed with my camera--to take a picture for posting, naturally on this blog.

As you can probably see, this is the fruit and veg section, adjacent to the fast foods section. I could hardly believe there to be so many Ghanaians in town on a Sunday night around 8.30pm!!

More pictures of the mall are in the offing--so stay tuned!

Marketwoman Displays her Yams for Sale

This is a scene right out of the market near Tema station, where a number of Ghanaian workers head to in travelling outside the centre of Accra. It is also located some minutes before the Tudu branch of the Electricity Company of Ghana.

Taken in isolation, you would be hard-pressed believing that the market behind this marketwoman could be located so close to the centre of town. You would be wrong. To some, that is the bane of Accra (human traffic); to foreigners and other Ghanaians alike, that is the beauty of this small, West African country.

Flying High into the Ghanaian Sky

An airplane veers meticulously towards the bright Ghanaian sky this afternoon. I caught it as I stood in traffic, near 37.

...Away it goes!...

Policeman Stops Tro-Tro...on Spintex Road

Looks like someone's going to have a bad day. I'm thinking it's the tro-tro driver whom I presume is in the green t-shirt.

Scenes like these are common Ghanaian currency, especially in the mornings when Ghanaians are going to work. Tro-tro drivers often capitalise on the chaos of traffic to do all sort of unconventional things, such as driving on shoulders and whatnot. Occasionally, a hawk-eyed police officer will put paid to such antics! The other side of the coin is that the police officer will necessarily stop a tro-tro driver, knowing he can extort money from him!

You pick your choice;-)

Car-Related Vignettes of Accra...

No surprises that there will still be vestiges of the accident in the minds of Ghanaians, for an accident of the magnitude of last week Wednesday that involved no less than the President of the nation, will prompt discussions for a while, and queries--like this one here. The photo shows the front cover of the what could be described as the "morning after (the night before)" picture, by the Daily Graphic...

That said, I thought I'd continue the car vignette by posting this one here of one I took earlier this morning on my way to work in a taxi. The driver of this car either inherited the car, or put all those stickers which were all generating a tag of "sanctimony" the more I looked. Sanctimony that can only be Ghana-style;-)

I mean where on earth in this world do you find a sticker of "I love my wife"! (look closely at the top of the brake light, located in the middle

What tosh!

Spintex Road Traffic at Night

It's already bad experiencing Spintex road traffic, which I can only describe as "legendary", but it's especially worse this time of the year, when the whole world is a whisker away from festivities of Christmas...

This is Ghana's National Theatre!

This is the front of the National Theatre. Located minutes away from the British Council, it certainly is an inimitable structure...built for us by the Chinese!!!

Have a good weekend!

Accra by Night: Night Traffic...with a Twist!

The combination of speed, and headlamps of oncoming cars produced these fancy and funky lights by this white Nissan Terrano travelling southwards.

Traffic. A Crowd. An Accident. Involving the Ghanaian President

Traffic on the 37 military road

.

A crowd

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A police tow van

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a police officer directing traffic

A crowd is able to congregate round a green light, against the backdrop of what looks like heavy traffic

Something's certainly caught the crowd's attention

This is the perfect scene for comment. Some twenty-five minutes before I arrived here from a work-related press conference to see this scene--and take a picture of it--my Mum called me to ask me whether I had heard the news about no less than the President of Ghana John Kufuor being involved in a near-fatal car crash that involved the car somersaulting THREE times, after a car, travelling at top speed hit it.

Here is how Reuters reported it:

Ghanaian President Kufuor involved in car accident - witnesses

Wed 14 Nov 2007, 13:34 GMT
[-] Text [+]

ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghanaian President John Kufuor, chairman of the African Union, escaped unhurt when a car crashed into his vehicle on Wednesday, rolling it over several times, officials and witnesses said.

Presidential Press Secretary Andy Awuni said Kufuor appeared healthy and composed but was undergoing medical checks in the presidential palace to ensure he was not at risk.

Witnesses said a red car coming from the opposite direction struck the president's vehicle at a major intersection near the Kotoka International Airport in the capital Accra.


"The car finally rested on the sidewalk and the people around helped his security men to pull him out. The president came out holding his head," James Kobinah, an electrician working nearby, told Reuters.

Awuni said police were investigating the cause of the accident and would question the driver of the red car, who was being treated in hospital. Some other people involved in the accident were also receiving medical attention.

"The picture is not very clear about the accident," Awuni said. "It's a bit strange for the car to run into his car directly."

© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved
from: http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN447886.html

This is how Ghana's Joy FM reported it:

President Kufuor escapes unhurt after his car was rammed late morning Wednesday while on his way to his office.

President Kufuor is reported to be in good health and already back in his seat at the Castle, Osu, after he escaped unhurt in a late morning accident on Wednesday.

A man yet to be identified is said to have driven a Benz saloon car straight into that of the President at the Opeibea Intersection on the Airport – 37 Military Hospital road.

President Kufuor was said to be on his way to his office.

According to Mr. Andrew Awuni, Press Secretary to the President, those who were injured, including the President’s driver, have been moved to the 37 Military Hospital for medical check-up.

“But the President is doing well. He is right in his seat here at the Castle,” Awuni assured.

Awuni, who described the accident as a strange one, said only two cars were involved but added it was not clear how many people may have been involved. He could also not tell the whereabouts of the driver of the other vehicle and suggested he might be at the hospital or with the President’s security detail.

Explaining why the accident appeared strange, he said usually outriders would be fending off all junctions, which they did, “nevertheless this car came and just ran into the President’s car and of course nobody expects to see an accident so sometimes you don’t get to see how it happens.”

News filtering from the rumour mill as I walked round to take pictures was that the driver was a Lebanese man. The taxi driver who brought me to the office speculated about how problematic it would have been if it had been a Ghanaian that crashed into the presidential convoy!!

"Little England": A Nice Cosy Spot in East Legon

In yet another free marketing venture, I present to you..."Little England". Owned by a Ghanaian lady, married to a Brit, this place offers...English food, such as fish and chips and much more.

Shame I haven't been there yet to savour the food, but I'll be sure to go there one of these days and report back!

I checked out the prices, and they're decent, as in GHC7.50 ($US8.00) for what are supposedly "large prawns" in salad, which comes with a side order of chips/rice.

Bon appetit...in advance!

Here's your Ghana Taxi!

Just in case you have any doubt, this is a picture of what a typical taxi in Ghana looks like: double-coloured (always either yellow and white, yellow and brown, with at least a yellow colour in there somewhere!).

It is also followed by yellow number plates, with black lettering/digits. Private cars, conversely, have WHITE backgrounds as their plates. The "GW" at the beginning is always a tell-tale sign of where in Ghana it was registered. Here, the "GW" means Accra. Given the speed with which cars are being registered in the country these days, you will now see "GS", which is also Accra.

It originally started with "GR" for Greater Accra Region; whilst those who registered it at Tema got "GT".

Of Serene Snapshots & Signboards in East Legon (on a Weekday)

Too right! There is quite a lot of greenery in East Legon...



...and signboards, too!

Remember Eastgate Hotel?

(Talk about free advertising! Wonder whether I'm gonna get paid for this;-)) )

Have yourselves a stress-free weekend!

Ghana's Biggest Mobile Service Provider MTN Makes Dastardly Big Claims...

Check the two billboards out. Which is the biggest? South Africa-based MTN is certainly the biggest, exhorting one to "Go Make that Call".

The capital of Accra has been replete with an unprecedented psychedelic quality of yellow in the sense that there is a lot of yellow around--and it is certainly not the Ghanaian sun!

It's about MTN and its campaign of y'ello--ness, which is doing very little for its self-esteem off-late. This is because Ghana's regulator, the National Communications Authority, in an unprecedented move called on MTN and ONETOUCH, which has 70% stake owned by Ghana (which purchase is being bidded by Singapore Telecom) to shape up or be caused to audit their accounts, and face severe sanctions. You can read the story here: http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=20073&email=html.

Whilst you are at it, you might want to check out MTN's yellow plane ensconced in the grassy knoll, of sorts, of Tetteh Quarshie interchange!



STOP PRESS: just heard that the regulator has apparently settled with both companies! It will be up to the media to inform us of the extent of these discussions!!

DEMOLITION MEN!!: Clean-up of Accra Begins...

It began Monday with what would prove to be a discerning afternoon, replete with dramatic and cascading scenes of pockets of crowds congregating in clusters of emotion, awe, surprise and resignation as men fron Accra Metropolitan Assembly, in collaboration with Zoom Lion--all clad in reflective attire--started demolishing structures, kiosks and whatnot.

All this was happening in a messy atmosphere of smoke, emanating from the furious fire of burning wood and metal.

It truly was a sight to behold.

The helplessness of those whose kiosks were being destroyed was palpable. The glimmer of hope in their eyes for a daily income must have died there and then.

But this was to be expected--for in the past few weeks, the AMA has undertaken a clean-up exercise of Accra--to rid the capital of filth before 15 countries descend into the country in January 2008 for the Cup of African Nations, to be hosted in Ghana.

Either way, the taxi driver who brought me back to the office was ambivalent. He felt that Ghanaians are too stubborn for their own good and that, whilst the situation was sad, the "squatters" had been informed as recently as a six months to a year ago.

"We Ghanaians, we are too stubborn!" he added as he fropped me off, taking my fee.

Could't agree more!!

Ghana Petrol Prices Increase...

The increase came yesterday--very much to the chagrin of consumers.

As someone who commutes with taxis off and on, I was shocked to learn that a short distance that would attract a cost of GHC1.00, or $US1.07, now is GHC1.50! Ofcourse, that might have been an arbitrary price--as taxi drivers are wont to fix--but what's clear is that the price increases are real:

New Petrol Prices Announced

General News - Thu, 01 Nov 2007

THE NATIONAL PETROLEUM Authority (NPA) has announced new prices for petroleum products effective today November I, 2007.
The new prices show an increase in the cost of petrol by 4 per cent.

This means that a litre of petrol will now sell at 97.78Gp from a previous price of 93Gp.

The upward adjustment has become necessary because of the hike in crude oil prices on the world market. The price of crude oil on the world market continues to surge. As at last night, a barrel of crude was selling for $93.38 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
http://www.modernghana.com/GhanaHome/NewsArchive/news_details.asp?menu_id=1&id=VFZSUk1rNVVVWG89

Too bad for the Ghanaian pocket?

Wanna See Accra by bus? Try ACCRA TOURS...

Here's the news item announcing Accra tours in January this year:

Accra Tours Project Launched

By Times Reporter

Saturday, 27 January 2007

SOME school children boarding a bus after the launch yesterday of Accra Tours, a new tourism project.(Inset): Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Tourism and of Diasporan Relations, performing the launch. With him is Mrs. Stella Appenteng (left), president of the Tour Operations Union.

Accra Tours, an initiative of the Tourism Ministry in collaboration with the Tour Operators Union, Tour Guides Association and Metro Mass Transit, commences operations on January 31. It will be a professionally-run guided tour service aimed at promoting domestic tourism.

Enjoy!!