Sights & Sounds: Ring Road (1)

Last Saturday I was in town to deliver a lecture to a group of dedicated people fighting for issues far bigger than themselves. The event took place at Busyinternet on the Ring Road. I've done too much free publicity for busyinternet, hence my witting desire to not link them. You can do that in a google search--easily;-)

I have to say that I love this shot; there's something about the way it captures the Busyinternet sign, against the backdrop of "downtown" Accra, if you will. Our "VAT House" is to the right of the picture.

More importantly, it's necessary to state that if ever you come to Ghana and you don't visit Ring Road, you, frankly, would not have "seen" Accra.

Heard about Nigerian Manufacturer Omatek?

Given the Nigerian anti-corruption police, Economic Financial Crimes Commission, taking on bankers in Nigeria, you might forget that good things continue to come from Ghana's big brother.

Omatek is one of those good news. Its website describes it thus:

Omatek Computers Limited is the first factory to locally assemble Computer cases, Speakers, Keyboards and Mouse, other than Computer systems and Notebooks in the whole of Africa. The assembling of these components in this factory has created a great advantage to other systems builders as well as resellers all over Africa for retailing.

Another Way Accra Mall's "Game" Shop Cheats its Customers

How about a little arithmetic for you this side of the day? What do you get when you have 14 pouch meals in gravy (@100g) going for GHC17.50? What you get is a simple arithmetic where you divide 17.50 by 14 pouch meals. You get: GHC1.25. That's 1.25 ghana cedis per pouch meal.














So, how on earth is it possible to get the same pouch meal of 100g going for...GHp0.90?

1. Could it be that GAME management has poor supervisors?
2. Could it be that it is GAME's way of ensuring that they cheat customers, knowing most of them are middle class and would not miss a couple of ghana cedis?
3. Could it simply be that the profit motive for GAME blinds them to distraction?

Whatever your question/answer formulation, I was profoundly disappointed when I asked a GAME attendant why this discrepancy, and all he could say was..."ah, that's GAME for you!"

So, what is it? Conspiracy?

Remember my "Tale of Two Twixes" in March? To err is human, but to persist...

Combating Climate Change in Accra Starts With...

bikes! Surely bikes? There are a slew of new roads being developed round the country, but I wonder how many are factoring in bicycle paths?

At a time when the African Union is this week purportedly asking for cash to deal with adaptive changes flowing from climate change, I cannot help but wonder whether there should not be sub-regional approaches to this fight, starting with the use of minimising cars n the road in place of efficient public transport.

Ghana is encouraged that the government is working on this, but a wider strategy that encapsulates the use of mere bicycle/motor lanes, in my humble view, would help address what could become a catastrophe of epic proportions over the next couple of years! A few bicycle places at Accra Mall will encourage people to bring their bicycles, but do only so much...

A Carriage at Accra Mall? Talk about Non-Essentials!

Two weeks ago, this carriage was located at the entrance of Accra Mall -- as if to say that all those who patronized the place were (A)middle class; (b)sufficiently "endowed" financially (c)had more money than sense.

Given the financial crisis which has already hit Africa--not to speak of Ghana--I am wont to believe that those in the last category are likely to consider even hiring this carriage for whatever it is people do with a carriage these days...

I am tempted to believe that its success was a non-starter, hence the rapid dispatch of it a week later!

Breaking news! Forget Csi New York...

Trash all episodes of the remaining 2 legs of the Csi trinity, and prepare for Csi Tamale!

On a more serious note, Tamale is in the Northern region of Ghana, and that is where the University of Development Studies (UDS) is located. Am glad to see that a region purported to be in an unstable part of Ghana is focussing its attention to enhancing crime-combating techniques.

Ghanaians Like Their Milo Drink...

...but given attention-grabbing headlines around health off-late (I never said "swine flu"!), it might be a good idea for Ghanaians to remember that they are among the top 5 producers of cocoa. See below:

1. Côte d’Ivoire … 1.3 million tonnes (37.4% of world’s total of 3.5 million tonnes)
2. Ghana … 720 thousand tonnes (20.7%)
3. Indonesia … 440 thousand tonnes (12.7%)
4. Cameroon … 175 thousand tonnes (5.0%)
5. Nigeria … 160 thousand tonnes (4.6%)
6. Brazil … 155 thousand tonnes (4.5%)
7. Ecuador … 118 thousand tonnes (3.4%)
8. Dominican Republic … 47 thousand tonnes (1.4%)
9. Malaysia … 30 thousand tonnes (0.9%)


Read more: http://international-tariffs.suite101.com/article.cfm/top_cocoa_chocolate_exporters#ixzz0OqCPphjm

With that knowledge in mind, as they go home for the weekend, "a nice cuppa" as the Brits like to say, would be okay as long as it's a "nice cuppa" cocoa.

Incidentally, the picture is one of quintessentially-Ghanaian cocoa. Best drunk without sugar.

Have a good weekend!

Terrible Traffic on Spintex Road 17 Aug, 2009

Both northbound and southbound directions revealed tremendous traffic yesterday evening due to an accident on the Tetteh-Quarshie interchange. Those among us who are foolishly intrepid decided to walk instead of staying in a vehicle that was charging you for essentially being in traffic! This picture attests to that "foolishness". My camera-phone was a worthy target for theft but, hey, anything for a photo-op!

You can view a video clip of how bad it was here.

Changing Faces of Accra...

Don't reach for the rifle yet, when I tell you, in this post, about the Spintex Road for the umpteenth time!:-) It is important to let you know, though, that major changes are a-foot on this road for expansion. And this picture attests to those changes!

Busy, Busy, Accra!

I guess you can gauge how "busy" this picture looks, what with the peanut-seller in the brown skirt looking for customers as the tro-tros come in and out of the station at the famed "37" station; not excluding the taxis to the right of the picture with door ajar--ready to call out to potential customers...

gotta run...!

Take Your Ghanaian Fruit Pick!

Well, at least, I hope they are all Ghanaian fruit! I'm a sucker for colour, and as such, a sucker for a picture like this. Never mind that people might raise an eyebrow or two for taking pictures of fruit!

I like to paint my own world, so if that means being considered a FRUITcake, I'm up for that.

All in the service of blogging!

Ghana Road "Accountability"?

I think the boards could do with some cleaning. Wonder whether this project was ever executed?