How the Ubiquitous Two-Colored Taxi Reflects Ghana's Multi-facetted Life...

Ok, so perhaps a bit of a wordy entry.

Looking at this picture of a taxi, I cannot help but feel patriotic: you've got your red and yellow; green, and a bit of black--all against the backdrop of some palm trees, set against the backdrop, in turn, of a hustling and bustling metropolis...that is veritably Accra.

A Typical Scene in East Legon, Accra

Here, from the rooftop of "Special Plaza II" in East Legon, I was able to snap a picture of "Special Plaza I", and the surrounding activities that go along, such as taxis plying the route; food vendors and whatnot plying their trade...

That yellow umbrella is that of MTN, which has made itself more than ubiquitous off-late!!

Welcome to Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA)

Problems with the press nothwithstanding over whether the Rector Dr.Stephen Adei is a professor or not, GIMPA remains a beautifully plush (and expensive) place to enjoy very high-quality education. Here's what the website says:

The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) was established in 1961 as a joint Ghana Government/United Nations special Fund Project. It was originally the Institute of Public Administration established as one of the key strategic institutions to develop the public administrative system and to produce civil servants with administrative and professional competence to plan and administer national, regional and local services.

In 1966, the joint sponsorship ended and the UN formally handed over the Institute to the Government of Ghana. The Institute was re-designated the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in 1969 to reflect its enlarged focus.

GIMPA’s activities over the past forty five (45) years have been guided by five successive mandates from the first Legislative Instrument of 1961 to the current GIMPA Law 2004 (Act 676). Each one has affirmed the status of the Institute as the nation’s leading management development institution to provide the study of Public Administration and Management in Ghana. In line with the government’s public sector reform initiatives, GIMPA has been restructured into a self-financing organization with a new structure to meet its new mandate.

from:http://www.gimpa.edu.gh/home/gimpa/

Generators in Accra no More?

For the past two weeks, many parts of Accra has been enjoying many days without interruption of electricity. This contrasts starkly with personal anecdotes last year which run like this:

Accra is in the Dark Ages.

Ever since the load-shedding started, the country’s electricity provider ECG, has decided to ride on the back of the "load management programme" by continuing to deliver increasingly execrable service.

Yesterday, on an evening that was not supposed to experience load-shedding at 6pm, the lights went out, eliciting a collective sigh of resignation and frustration all-rolled-in-one. Calls were made, and it transpired that there was "a fault" in one of the stations near the motorway of Tema. Later, I found out that it wasn’t quite near the motorway, but somewhere around Tema. Not to mention the lack of consistency in the lies (you don’t even know where the genesis of the so-called fault is?) but to buttress all that is the frustration associated with feeling the lights will come on soon when you call, only to find out that the problem has not finished being worked on!
from: http://ekbensahinghana.blogspot.com/2006/10/darkness-falls-in-accra-1.html

This generator outside is reminiscent of many scenes all over the capital up until some two weeks ago. I can say with certainty that last night, the electricity was suposed to go off. Pleasurably, it did not.

Normality in the offing?

No Way to Get Lost in Accra...

With one of these fortified pillars explaining to you how far you are away into and out of the centre of Accra, how can you possibly get lost?;-)

Let There Be Light!! (2)...

...my neighborhood...one night, several mobile phone camera evening shots ago;-))

Short of being blasphemous, I could't help but take this shot to expose the contrast of the yellow lights versus the darkness...

Lest I forget, peculiar V, I got you covered! I owe you a response;-)

A&C Shopping Mall at Night--A Litany of Lights!

I took this picture from the balcony of A&C Shopping mall one fine evening in 2005.

Although a bit blurred, the lights are this side of phenomenal!:-) You can guess that the two yellow lights are streetlights emphasizing themselves in the darkness...

It's Not the Taxi; It's the Bank! (Ghana Commercial Bank)

...that most interests me. It's Ghana's largest Indigenous bank, the Ghana Commercial Bank.

Their customer service might be nothing to write home about, but they've been in operation--and existence long, long before I was born! Actually, since 1953, when it was established. It is also the only bank in the country that has networks and branches throughout Ghana's ten(10!) regions:

Ghana Commercial Bank Ltd. established in May 1953 for Ghanaian entrepreneurs, is now the largest indigenous Bank with 133 branches nation-wide. Our objective among others is to support the private sector and facilitate the nation's economic growth

Have a good weekend!

Welcome (Akwabaa) to GOIL Filling Station!

This is what it says on its nicely-designed website here:http://goilonline.com/web/contents/about/index.php

Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) was established on 14th June 1960 under the Companies Ordinance (CAP 193) as AGIP Ghana Limited with AGIP S.P.A of Italy having 855,000 shares and SNAM SPA also of Italy with 95,000 shares. On the 16th December 1968 the 95,000-shares were transferred to Hydrocarbons International Holdings of Zurich. The Company is now fully owned by the government of Ghana which acquired it in 1974. Ministry of Energy represents the government in all its dealings with the Company

I have always wondered why filling stations have websites, but I guess in these days of one, they wonder "why not"? Either way, I have to admit that it's rather fortuitous that I should find this on my desktop somewhere, because three years back home, working professionally, and here I was totally oblivious to this website!!

This picture was taken on the Spintex Road

The "Nanteyie" you see means "drive safely, goodbye!"

Red Royal Poinciana Trees in Accra?

Thought that would get your attention! Actually, there are many of these trees in the capital, Accra, and they bloom around May, when I took this picture--way back in 2005.

I'm unsure of the name--can anyone enlighten me?

15/8 update: Thank you, Ann! (from:http://mobaydp.blogspot.com/2007/07/flamed.html These are Poinciana Trees)

Beautiful Sunset on Tetteh-Quarshie Interchange

This is what I call "soul-food"!

Happy weekend!

Up Close and Personal...at the Tetteh-Quarshie Interchange

This was, at least, the scene of serenity that greeted me yesterday evening, as I walked to get a taxi heading for the Spintex Road.

Boy was I in for a surprise, when up above, I would wait for a horrendous 1.5 hours before catching a Spintex-road-bound cab!

So, why the serenity, and free-slow this side on a Wednesday that is rarely traffic-free this side? Could it be the children on vacation?

Other photos of Tetteh-Quarshie:http://accradailyphoto.blogspot.com/2006/07/going-to-tetteh-quarshie-interchange.html

Spider Plants Eat their Heart Out in Accra!

These plants rarely need that much water to survive, and so it's little surprise that you'll find many of them littered around the capital of Accra!

Careful not to come too close, though!

Who Says African Children Cannot Read?

Ofcourse, I don't think anyone has ever said that, or even made that assumption. The usual spiel is that Africa is... (choose your negative tag).

I am not making any political statement here, except to say that I think this interesting and spontaneous picture I took a few weeks ago, whilst waiting to have my shoe fixed from a nearby shomeaker, diproves the fallacy and perception (including my own!) that African children aren't keen to learn!

Ghana's Flagstaff House Shrouded in Controversy

As far as my searching has gone, there exists no coherent entry on what the Flagstaff House is in Ghana. Even wikipedia has no entry on it--except the one in Hong Kong, which bears the same name.

Suffice-to-say, it was supposed to be the seat of government, as prescribed by the our first President Osagyefo Dr.Kwame Nkrumah. However, off-late, it has been the subject of controversy, because Stanbic Bank--the very bank that wants to take over the shares of Ghana's only Agricultural Development Bank is now providing a loan for the re-construction of Flagstaff House. All this against much criticism from the minority National Democratic Congress in Parliament.

Now, please follow this logic:
1. Stanbic Bank wants to buy off Ghana's Agricultural Development Bank (responsible for providing micro-financing for farmers in the country)

2. Against the backdrop and furore against the purchase by Stanbic, it decides...

3. to provide a loan for the re-construction of Ghana's seat of government

Do I smell

desperation

by Stanbic to profit from Ghana here?

Certainly, not in my name, thankyou!!