Ghana Votes, #GhanaDecides!

It is election day, and while there have been reports elsewhere of difficulties in voting, overall, voting has been pretty smooth, with orderly lines.

Someone is just saying behind me that this is the "shortest line" he has seen. Well...

When Micro-Narratives are Written by Coverage of a Collapsed Building in Accra

This morning, I was still in my pyjamas when I caught the electrifying speech of newly-re-elected President of the United States Barack Obama. Little did one know that a few hours later--right here in Accra--a narrative would be written,opening up a whole new debate about the country and its attention to regulation--or lack thereof. Coming a few weeks before our general election on 7 December, one can only hope it pricks the consciences of the policy-makers and those who run the Accra metropolis day-by-day. Pictures taken by a facebooker Kobby Blay are posted below to give a sense of the impact.

I cannot help but end with what Journalist at Graphic Communications Samuel K Obour stated on his Facebook status earlier today:

Samuel K. Obour

about an hour ago

I began the day with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement, but news of the Melcom building collapse has left me devastated and confused. It's indeed been a terrible day.
I join other well-meaning Ghanaians in praying for souls of those who died in this disaster. 

I especially pray for strength for bereaved families.

Going forward, we must ensure, as progressive Ghanaians, that all necessary measures are taken to rigorously and fully investigate this disaster, and that decisive punitive action is taken against those found to have contributed directly or indirectly to it.
Never again must we experience such a catastrophe in this country.
God bless our homeland Ghana.

If God can bless the USA, God will certainly bless Ghana, too. 

As you look for #Melcolmcollapse on social media, please keep checking http://www.citifmonline.com  for dedicating special news sections on-air and online to the tragedy.

28 Aug 2006 (first major Load-Management in Accra); 28 Aug, 2012...West Africa Gas Pipeline Shuts down?

I am no conspiracy theorist, but if I were a numbers man, I would find this terribly coincidental.

First: 28 August, 2006, I post this on this blog:

"Ghana is, in effect, a hydro-dependent state, predicating its energy survival on rainfall into the dam that is generated into electricity. Currently, we supply electricity to some of our West African neighbours of Togo and Benin, whilst buying some of it from Cote d'Ivoire (according to engineer who spoke on the Accra-based English-speaking private radio station CITI 97.3FM) this morning.
However, as from 28 August--yesterday--the country has been compelled to undergo what Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Volta Regional Authority (VRA) [that supervises/manages the distribution of electricity in the country's Eastern Region] call "National Shedding" Programme.
Although it is expected that rains will fall in the country, the rainfall expected this cool season (July-October) has been very little as compared to the earlier months, where there were thunderstorms almost twice a week in the country (April-June)
The equation is: no rain = no electricity. Therefore, by putting domestic consumers on this "load management" programme, where the capital--divided into six zones--will experience electricity black-outs from 6am-6pm, and 6pm-6am respectively every other third day, energy will be saved for the next fifteen days.-- from: http://accradailyphoto.blogspot.com/2006/08/this-gargantuan-dam-provides-ghana.html

Four years later, the West Africa Gas Pipeline (which sends gas to Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, and Togo) posts this on its website:

Ghana, Accra, (August 28, 2012) - The West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) operator of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) system has shut down the pipeline system after experiencing a loss of pressure around the Lome segment of the pipeline this morning.

WAPCo has subsequently stopped all gas deliveries to its onshore stations and is working closely with the government agencies and other relevant organisations to investigate the cause of loss of pressure and to ensure safety while rectifying the situation.
For further information please contact:
Mrs. Harriet Wereko-Brobby
General Manager, Corporate Affairs
Telephone: +233 244  334 510
Email: hwerekobrobby@wagpco.comWebsite: www.wagpco.com 

While I leave the mind to boggle in peace, allow me to remind those in Ghana currently experiencing the load-shedding to avail themselves to the number in the picture I captured of our daily this morning.

Whatever we may think about the National Load Shedding, at least we have an idea WHEN it will be off--even if "being off" can go off on its own tangent, if you see what I mean!

Keep safe!

Fire!...by the Accra-Tema Motorway...where is the EPA?

Yesterday evening, I saw this scene of a young kid--around 10yrs--"managing" fire of this magnitude near the Accra-Tema motorway.

Now at the best of times, the motorway is not the most abiding of places for even an adult -- let alone a kid. Never mind the fact that there was serious danger, what with the second-hand tyres piled up nearby, and the fire just by the motorway!

Imagine if that fire had gone out of control? Apart from the habitual shaking-of-the-head (a typical refrain in this country!), I could only wonder where on Earth the Environmental Protection Agency policy on this is?

Sure, it does have a website, but how is its public education? How many people even know that you are NOT supposed to burn material near a motorway. Sure, it might be common-sense, but let us face it: it sure may be common...but not EVERYONE has it. In this respect, a little critical public outreach and education should go some way in people unlearning bad, bad practises...like these!

WAKE UP, EPA!

Here's some information about contacting them. Taken from their website:

Accra East Region

The Regional Officer

Community 22 Tema Greater Accra P. O. Box AS 11 , Ashiaman Ghana accraeast.region@epa.gov.gh 0303 310009 / 0303 312012 http://www.epa.gov.gh Working Hours Monday to Friday 0800 to 1700 Hours

Flagstaff House: Present in Google Maps when the White House is not!

This revelation from the first-ever Africa Media FORUM on Geoinformation Systems was too juicy to leave to oneself.

So now you know how very seriously the US security services take their security--and that of their most important man...!

Happy October! Happy new month!

I am alive! Yes, I am alive. If you are reading on my Trials and Tribulations... blog, allow me to just say that apart from living life to the full, some serious tectonic changes have taken place in my life seriously obviating the ability and desire to write full-blown entries. 

July is too long a time to have written an entry. Let me just say that it is a new month, bringing a lot of hope and excitement in my life--so be prepared to read more entries of life in Ghana. There's so much going on you would not believe. 

For my Accra Daily blog, I want to thank my loyal readers who keep coming back to read old entries, or who have just uncovered--or discovered--the blog. There are many pictures waiting to grace the blog, and they shall do so this month!

With regard to my Africa Union Citizen blog, let me just say that a paucity of entries is far from a reflection of no-work. I have written quite a bit on the African Union for the past couple of months--just that I thought it was not always necessary to post the entries on that specific blog. Instead, let me direct you to the site where you can find those entries: http://www.modernghana.com/columnist/EmmanuelKBensahJr

I still love Ghana very much; I still love taking pictures of Accra; and I very much love writing about the AU. 

Expect so much more this month--and when you think I am not delivering, write me: ekbensahATekbensah.net.

See you on the other side!

Psst...The picture of SMART TV is a note-to-self about getting smarter on my blogging!;-)

--

New airline to hit Ghana 21st september

At a time one is seeing domestic airlines like fly540 advertising rates around 50usd to Cote d'ivoire, this new development is highly encouraging!

Rest in Peace Mr.President of Ghana, Prof. JEA Mills

Am currently at 37 military hospital--one of our hospitals that has featured regularly in Accra Daily Photo.

The one-week mourning commences today as a sign of respect to the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills. Whatever people may have thought of him as a political animal, one thing stands clear: he was a dedicated, honest, and humble man.

Acquaintances and colleagues from all over the world have contacted me to offer their condolences. This humbles me for if Mills had been poorly-regarded, the story might have been different. To be contacted by non-Ghanaians simply because my President has passed on is as much food-for-thought as it is about how we must in our private lives seek to maintain a sense of integrity, honesty, and principle which the 21st century world seems to often encourages us to elude.

Rest in peace, dear Sir. You go to a better place. Continue the prayers for our stubborn-but-dear nation: the one we only have.


------------------Sent from ekbensah jr's nokia e63
*twitter.com/ekbensah
*www.ekbensah.net
*Contact me: +233.268.687.653// +233.243.111.789

One of the Reasons for Month-Long Absence: Mining

A fairly-prosaic picture like this is unlikely to excite you -- unless you get off by watching conference pictures of people speaking.

If you're fairly normal (with an eccentric streak like myself), then you'd take a look at the banner to get a sense of the nature of the meeting.

It was the "Pan-African Civil Society Networks Meeting on the Africa Mining Vision". I will deliberately be short on specifics as I do not believe this blog to be the platform to pontificate on the issue of mining, or the continental aspiration--known as the Africa Mining Vision.

Suffice-to-say, mining is a very big issue in this country. There are a number of civil society organisations that every day seek to shed light on the practises and what it means for mining countries like Ghana.

If you are not in Ghana (and even if you are), you might have missed the conference. It's not difficult to catch up at all:

• website: http://www.twnafrica.org, or http://csoafricaminingvision.twnafrica.org
• Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cu71mo8pea3eu1ghe6tdvjsfi4s/100486382858452552990
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/twnafrica
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/twnafrica
• ...and finally on Google Currents: https://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAowh6TpAQ/cso_conference_on_africa_mining_vision

Yes, I have been a way for a while. Busy...in real life. And still LOVING Google.

Thanks for your patience and understanding, and for your continue patronage of my many blog entries of Accra and Ghana! 

I am not back; I am around!;-)

Yet-Another Example of Ghana's Poor Customer Service

How does one reconcile loving one's country and demonstrating this love with a blog but contemporraneously showing the underbelly of the country? Very easily, in fact, for no society is perfect and to expect to show only the best sides of my capital and my country would be this side short of ludicrous.

On a daily basis, each and every single member of the Ghanaian middle class is confronted by the dark-side of Ghanaian culture. Never mind the Ghana Mean Time, where a lot of us always arrive later than a scheduled-programme, or the vision-less and clueless nature of most of our politicians to emphatically-act on important areas of development.

I'm talking about the smaller-but-important aspects of our daily life, such as customer service. It has gotten a lot better, but there remains much that needs to be done--as exemplified by this picture here that shows dog food alright, but dog food that is dusty! The dust is so visible it was picture-worthy--and that's why it's here!

This dog food is being sold in a lovely, swanky, pharmacy in my neighbourhood, which has all the works: good-looking ladies with a smile that offer great customer service. But what I can't reconcile, either, is how that is possible when they are also stacking goods like these that are dusty, and continue to be. I know--as I was there the other day.

Sadly, the dog food was still dusty--many weeks after I took this picture! Dare I tell the good ladies at the pharmacy?

Make your weekend good and safe!

Desperately Seeking a Job in Accra, or Seeking Desperate Job-Workers in Accra?

It's moments like these that elicit a shake of the head (better-known as "SMH") and a wry smile. I believe it is only in this beautiful-yet-flawed country of mine that someone would post something like this in a public place, and pay little attention to what their words imply:

"A company seeks desperate workers urgently..."??;-)

It would be funny if it were not so tragic! Truth is there are many job-seekers out there who are desperate. And some have families.

On another note, I'm not quite sure where in this world--never mind Ghana--that one can earn between GHS450(around 250USD) to GHS1000 (around USD555.5) without any experience??

The mind doesn't boggle in this instance; it positively is clueless!

Tyre Statue on the Accra-Tema Motorway, and why EPA deserves Shame!

Humour me! I come back to post many weeks after...and I come back with, what, a tyre-statue? Nothing about floods? what about beautiful scenes of Accra? no. All in good time.

A tyre-statue is not quite what this is, but what I do know is how whimsical and foolish some of our drivers who ply the Accra-Tema motorway can be.

I will not mince my words here: how on Earth do you pile tyres like this near a motorway? And how about trying to keep the place clean a bit? And where on earth are the Environmental Protection Agency? Do they have a website? Yes: http://www.epa.gov.gh/ This is what it says on their "About Us" page:

The Environmental Protection Agency is the leading public body for protecting and improving the environment in Ghana. It's our job to make sure that air, land and water are looked after by everyone in today's society, so that tomorrow's generations inherit a cleaner, healthier world.

I daresay "everyone" includes those who ply the road above???

In Reverse...on the Accra-Tema Motorway!

I have not died and gone to Heaven yet. Just lost in the maelstrom of real life...unlike these characters travelling by bike in the opposite direction...on the Accra-Tema motorway!

All I can say is "Only in Ghana!"

Have you Paid your (Ghana) Electricity and Water yet?

Ok, so complaints abound about the Electricity of Ghana (ECG) for the indiscriminate manner in which it can, despite schedules of load-shedding in the dailies, switch off our electricity.

I like the fact that on their website (http://www.ecgonline.info/ecgweb/), they have the number which you can call when the lights call off. It's, erm, their call-centre. What I don't quite get is why the number is still not a toll-free number when there are banks in this country which enable you to call their call-centre 24/7 for free on, say, Vodafone!

My policy is this: never mind the fact that ECG is switching lights off at specific periods--so that they can guarantee regular electricity, payment of my electricity bills (mostly paid in advance as most Ghanaians seem to be on pre-paid) are what will give me  the voice to complain when they switch my lights off!

From Taxi Hell...to Taxi Sanity at Accra Mall?

Ghanaians like to pretend they're paragons of virtue, but some of us like to think we know what paragons they are of--and it's certainly not cleanliness!

While this is a blog to showcase the great sides of Accra and Ghana, it's important to show the bad as well--just for balance, you understand;-)

Taxis are those groups likely to go straight to Hell if God were suddenly to appear in Accra (and you believed in Him ofcourse!) to do an inspection of the country: they're mostly impatient; indiscriminate about the fares they charge, and even when the regulator has given them a rate; and often possess very mercurial tempers.

Sometimes, someday, they err on the wrong side of a policeman, and end up doing the right thing.

I'm not quite sure which police officer ordered them to park here, but I witnessed, weeks back, a very exaggerated anger from a policeman who ended up removing the bolts of a taxi-driver's car that had parked wrongly, and headed off to Accra Mall on a whim.

The scene was not pretty: a policeman arguing with a poor, lanky, taxi-driver about where he had parked. After that, most of the taxi-drivers have been parking at the end of the bus-stop (as pictured here).

Bottom line is that while some have tried to renege on the unwritten contract to park there, most have stuck there safely...and littered the place in the process as well:-(

Still, I wouldn't exchange Ghana with any country!

Zambia wins Africa Cup of Nations 2012

Harmattan Redux!

This morning, it was unusually cold. Little did Ghanaians know that they were going to wake up to another "round" of the Harmattan--those dusty winds that blow through Western Africa. My sources tell me Cote d'Ivoire, Mali and Burkina were also plagued by this kind of weather this morning.

Between you and me, bar the dust, I quite like the coolness!

Spintex Road into Accra

Spintex Road, near Regimanuel Estates

Tetteh-Quarshie GPRTU Bus Terminal

Just in case Ghanaian Politicians forget in Election Year 2012...

Ghanaians do NOT "eat" roads!

This is a common refrain heard by Ghanaians of all walks of life. It is especially heard in years when elections take place, such is this Olympic year of 2012.

When politicians go campaigning, vox pop by media houses are likely to include a piece of an agitated voter stating categorically that "these politicans think they can come after three years of doing nothing and present only a road they did for us in this community. Do  they not know we don't eat roads?"

If roads were designed for eating, I daresay there would not be enough for anyone in 
this country!

Time for some Law and Order--Ghana-Style!

Signs like these literally litter the capital. As to whether Ghanaians pay attention to them is, well, moot! I must say, though, that I pass this sign every day on my way home, and I have yet to see any litter since it was put here around three months ago. Maybe we can speculate that we're becoming more sensitive to the need of protecting the environment? (and pigs can fly, too!)

Even if we are some seventeen days into the New Year, I believe nothing stops me from wishing you all a FABULOUS New Year--replete with good luck and good cheer?