There's only Word on my Lips: "Rain" (in Accra)

Not to belabour the point of the rainy season, but this picture I took from East Legon shows really shot-up corn...





















...and some more corn!.................





















Today, the word was not that much different. The weather was cool, averaging around 22 degrees celsius. Certainly, there have been signs that the rain might fall. This can only mean more corn. By extension, more food for Ghanaian farmers?

Welcome to Gulf House, Accra

Actually, not quite. The building you see in the background is that of what is known as Gulf House. Located just off the Tetteh-Quarshie interchange, it houses Ghana Commercial Bank; Agricultural Development Bank. Opposite it is the sleek-looking Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, which I will do well to bring you a proper picture of one of these days!

A quick google search shows you the exact position, which you can see for yourself here: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=opera&rls=en&hs=PDG&q=%22gulf+house%22+Accra&aq=f&oq=&aqi=.

One thing I don't quite understand is if Accra Mall and Silver Star Towers can have websites, why not Gulf House, which has been around for at least a decade?

Return of the Mass Metro Buses on Accra Roads?

A question like that might go some way to do a great disservice to those buses that actually have been plying on the Ghanaian roads, but it was important to ask! Especially because last time the regularity was indisputable, I was posting entries like this here: http://accradailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/02/inside-ghanas-mass-metro-buses.html and http://accradailyphoto.blogspot.com/2006/10/heres-almost-how-packed-i-was-in.html

Yesterday morning, I needed to go downtown as part of my habitual service to the nation that I am rendering (all will be revealed soon!) alongside my regular work.

Running late, I decided I was going to have to charter a taxi, which would have been rather expensive (around 6-8 ghc, or roughly 4/5 US$). Rather fortuitously, a bus (as referred to above) pulls up, with a sticker by the window "SAKUMONO / [Accra] CIRCLE" [Sakumono is on the Spintex Road, and Circle is really downtown!!], with a young personable lady shouting for customers.

I boarded the bus to a sight of neat buses--very atypical to the tro-tro. I thought these buses had gone out of service this part of Accra!


I would rather coincidentally board this same bus on my way home from work, just across the Accra Mall. The young lady of the morning--looking rather tired--and I would exchange smiles for the very small world I am reminded daily of being a part of!

Whichever transport you take today, keep it safe, and have a great weekend!

Despite Loud Silence, Obama's Words Float with Hope in Ghana...

I've been absent on this blog in a manner that was not my own doing. While I believe that hope and candour floats in Ghana after his visit, seeing as this is primarily a picture blog, I will leave you with "pictures" I took and uploaded on my Facebook blog, which you can visit here:



http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=124243&id=603880406

Guess Who's Coming to [a Ghanaian] Dinner from 10-11th July (Hint: the US Prez!)?

Today's edition of the nation's flagship newspaper Daily Graphic offered a rather hefty edition, starting with key articles like these, offering reasons for Obama's desire to come to Ghana. It was based on an All Africa interview of Obama at the White House...












Other pieces like these were from companies offering their "akwaaba" or "welcome" to Ghana. This one from Kosmos is perhaps ironic, as there's been tremendous speculation from the more-discerning bunch of Ghanaians that Obama's motivation coincides with Ghana's discovery of commercial quantities of oil last year. Kosmos is a foreign company that has bought stakes in the oil that Ghana has uncovered. Recent stories indicate that Ghana's National Petroleum Company is keen to buy the 30% stake that Kosmos has.
Finally, the cover of today's paper. It was evident the production team would have come up with something that included the word "historic"!

I guess the secret's out for the dinner surprise, then?

Aloft the top of an Accra Quasi-Skyscraper: Where's my Accra Super-Hero?

A very cryptic title for a strange post. I cannot help but imagine Obama the super-hero standing on the corner of this building, which is no less than the "VAT House" of one of the popular suburbs of Accra--Adabraka, reputed to be in the heart of the city.

Truth be told, I can just see the sun in the corner of that building coming down to reveal an Obama, cloaked in Superman's garb, cloak fluttering in the wind as he reminds you and I to pay our taxes...

This side of the afternoon, you cannot really blame me for going on that flight of fancy;-) Especially given how the tale is one veritably steeped in bathos, where the sublime makes way for the ridiculous!

Seriously speaking--should that be writing?--I'm glad you now are familiar with the VAT House. Judging by the impressive height of the building, they must be raking in quite a bit! They're a stone's throw away from busyinternet, located on the Ring Road of Accra.

Is it that Obvious that Obama's Coming to Ghana?

I spoke to a friend in the States this morning who knew nothing of the visit of Obama to Ghana, but knew of the one to Russia!

Whatever the case may be, as this VOA article maintains, "Ghana's government is running a series of radio ads in anticipation of President Obama's visit".

One ad that has been on the airwaves goes like this:

"First black president of the United States of America, you have become a shining star, and despite the height of your achievement you are still proud to be called a black man. Barack Obama is coming home. He is coming to Ghana, Gold Coast, the center of the world,"

Ghanaians wait with baited breath for his visit!

This rather blurry picture, compounded by the fact that it had rained, was taken last weekend near the famed Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

Accra by Night

We get so used to the pictures around us that we oftentimes forget that the night brings a beautiful collection of sounds and sights--like this one--that cannot be emulated during the day.

Despite the reflection of the lights, one can still make out the cars and the streetlights. This was taken some fifteen minutes before 7pm on the '37' road.

A Day after Ghana's Celebration of Republic Day (1 July)...

...sees still more traffic, and plenty of rain!

For the past seven years, many of these bus "shoulders" have appeared throughout Accra and the country. It's only recently that I have been seeing that the "bus" signs are appearing alongside.

Honestly speaking, I can foresee a more sanitised transport sector with more distinctive shoulders for public transport, and a greater intervention by the regulators, including the National Road Safety Commission, who are getting tougher, as exemplified by this article here: where such-like regulators get tough on those vehicles that overload.

No Entry for Ghanaian Mosquitoes!

As the month of June slowly draws to a close, I think it's a safe point to express profound gratitude for ADP blog as it certainly has not been regular, due to many work pressures that have kept me away from my desk, even at lunchtimes!

July will come with a greater degree of levity work-wise as I would have acccomplished a number of tasks very necessary for, well let's just say, my peace of mind!:-)

In the meantime, I leave you for the weekend with this picture of a mosquitoe-proof net--a sight which graces many, many Ghanaian homes. At this very rainy season, which is likely to end end-August, our night foes come with more acute bites;-)

I am sure you can imagine, I will be doing a lot of this during this quintessentially pluvial season!

"Onyame Bekyre" Market Stall on Accra's Spintex Road

As I was going to work this morning, I was confronted by the sight of two bulldozers -- one on either side of the Spintex road -- doing the necessary grading of the road to expand it to the four-lane the new NDC government promised us.

Almost seven months into the government, this is an exemplification--if ever--of delivering on a long-held promise the outgone government failed to work on.

As Ghanaians keep their fingers crossed for the work to continue apace (and, frankly, where it's at, it would be ignoniminous to stop!), it might be a good idea to remember our market men and women who have stalls all along the said-road. Their livelihoods might just come at the expense of "development"--read: "a reduction in traffic for already-too many cars on the road".

This stall (pictured) is but one of many. Tomatoes are not the only food the market woman lady is selling, though the picture might belie this fact.

I'm all for development, but as they say in this part of the world (and as per the inscription of the market stall), Onyame Bekyre, or God will show the way!

Sights...and Smells of a Tro-Tro

You would not be in Ghana if you were not to see these commercial vehicles that litter the capital and beyond with yellow license plates.

Some of them are more sophisticated inside than this rudimentary one, and sometimes you'll be the worse for wear if you don't sit strategically, where that means you get stuck between a trader/itinerant vendor, or someone who had his bath aeons ago! Given it's the cheapest form of transport, small wonder you get all sorts!

Whatever vehicle you're in this weekend, ensure you either drive safely, or the driver does!

Busy busy, on the Spintex Road (I)

I like this picture because I think it represents the increasingly busy nature of parts of the Spintex Road.

Take the Chinese Restaurant--"Sweet Roses"--that I have referred to before here: http://accradailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/03/when-commercial-enterprises-in-ghana.html. It is located just a stone's throw away from that hotel in the picture. I took this picture from the front of a pharmacy.

The man walking in my direction was going to the pharmacy.

Now these apparently-mundane activities to me highlight one thing--how "convenience" is becoming a catch-word for Ghanaians, and how the famed Spintex Road has created what I would call "clusters of convenience" for those who ply the road. That there is a bank--just metres away from all this business--can only testify to how entrenched the clusters of convenience are becoming more apparent on this road.

Ghanaian Pedestrians: Red, Stop,...Go!

I had to go to work a little later than usual yesterday as I had duties to the nation to fulfil. The magnitude of the work at hand did not prevent me from taking the time to catch a photo of this pedestrian "meter", located at the Tetteh-Quarshie Interchange.

Before you ask, it does work;-) I do need an answer, though--what do you call what I called the pedestrian "meter"?

Just in Case You Missed Obama...

...he was all over the news this morning when in an afternoon at the University of Cairo, he read his yet-another eloquent speech, in which he said:

Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire. The United States has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known. We were born out of revolution against an empire.

We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal. And we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words, within our borders and around the world.

We are shaped by every culture. Drawn from every end of the Earth, and dedicated to a simple concept, E pluribus unum: Out of many, one.

Now much has been made of the fact that an African-American with the name Barack Hussein Obama could be elected president.

(APPLAUSE)

But my personal story is not so unique. The dream of opportunity for all people has not come true for everyone in America, but its promise exists for all who come to our shores. And that includes nearly 7 million American Muslims in our country today who, by the way, enjoy incomes and educational levels that are higher than the American average.

But if you really missed him, don't worry, he will be in Sub-Saharan Africa--specifically Ghana in July for two days!

The nation awaits with baited breath...

Snapshot of Wares at Madina Market

I've covered Madina before; it's in the outskirts of Accra, and plays host to an equally-vibrant market as in the centre of Accra.

This is a snapshot of that market some two weeks back.

Can you see the handbags, and the fruit? All common wares sold here!

Roll up, roll up!

Ghanaian Traffic Warden at work!

Keep your eyes on the road!

The ones in yellow tops are those that belong to the erstwhile National Youth Employment Programme. They don't belong to the police, but aim to assist them.

Have a safe weekend.

Keep it equally safe!

Now that the Rain Has Gone...

...it looks like the mosquitoes are in full operation. Here's one of yours truly attempting to light two mosquitoe coils...









Success! Let's blow them away with that smell!

Don't you love the picture of the flame lighting up? The beauty of a fire lighting up!

By the way, it's great to be back!

Electricity Pylons Galore!

Many apologies for the absence--in fact, next week promises to provide a dry-spell in blogging as I will be away till the 26th of May--but too many meetings have inhibited desire and ability to blog.

Here's one for good measure--electricty pylons around East Legon area. Just to show that it works!;-)

Shoprite's Fight (Bread) Club @ Least Once a Week!

This scene might probably belie the sheer physicality associated with usually-Friday evenings when one wants to buy a humble piece of bread at Shoprite, Accra Mall. I tell you: it's no mean feat, forming a bee-line to get fresh bread.

Many a time, I've joked that it's like forming a tro-tro line. I think it's frankly unacceptable. Shoprite doesn't have to keep customers waiting like this as if they'd die if they didn't get bread, should they?

Have a great weekend!

So Vodafone Painted the Town Red

Ghana Telecom is no more. It's now Vodafone [Ghana], and they're currently making a lot of noise on television, splashing red all over the place. The mobile service ONETOUCH has also been subsumed under the Vodafone brand.

I'm naturally not too enamoured by gory red, which I think this is--neither am I with Vodafone Ghana.

I don't believe that after the erstwhile right-of-centre NPP government sold it for $US900 million for Vodafone to acquire 70% of its shares, anything is going to improve that much.

We live in hope. Well, some of us do.

April Showers!

In all its glory.

The sky would open up this morning, after the usual orchestration of natural elements, where the sky darkens and the wind blows the trees to a samba dance, as leaves rustle like they're dancing the salsa;-)

The effect: solid cats-and-dogs rain.

Easter Monday Rain!

I hope it's not too late to wish visitors a (belated) Happy Easter. For what it's worth, this year's Easter celebration was not the most interesting, so I was kind of looking forward to the traditional rain that accompanies Easter Sunday.

You can imagine my joy to have noticed on Monday morning that dark clouds were gathering, only for rain to break out in grand style in the afternoon!

At long last, rain!

Tro-Tro!--Where Angels Don't Fear to Tread...

...on a tro-tro bus?;-)

No need saying this is no photoshop job; I cracked up internally when I saw this, viscerally reaching out for my camera-phone.

Maybe the angels that this tro-tro driver has admonished me of saw me? I need divine intervention every day anyway; they might as well have seen me!:-))

Accra has Street Names Alright But...

...you'd be hard-pressed finding any Ghanaian--and this cuts across both the working and middle classes--who would be comfortable identifying a location with a street name!

Street names are a-ok for filling in application forms or opening a bank account, but don't count on anyone knowing their street names! Before you ask, we do have maps a-plenty in "good" retail shops.

I wonder whether they're not sometimes a waste of time?;-)

A view from a Tro-tro!

I took this earlier this year. I'm no ace photographer, but I kind of like this one as it is able to depict both speed and purpose.

The purpose being the need to travel home fast!;-)

Have a great weekend!

Prepare yourself for Nigeria's "Chicken Republic"!

As a testament of Ghana's ever-continuous friendship with Nigeria on account of being both its "little brother" of the 1975-established Economic Community of West African States, and "gateway to West Africa", with Nigeria being the "destination to West Africa", there are a number of Nigerian outlets and banks in the country. Food outlets are no exception. If you have forgotten "Mr.Biggs", which is a Nigerian franchise that has been around since the 1970s, I bring to you Chicken Republic, which is described elsewhere on the "Net as:

Chicken Republic is our QSR and flagship brand. It launched in 2005 and is currently the fastest growing chicken franchise in West Africa. In 2007, we sold over 6 million pieces of chicken from our 17 stores in Nigeria.

A major milestone in Chicken Republic's history was also attained in December 2007 when we opened our 1st offshore outlet in Sunnyside, Pretoria, South Africa. This extends our mission - to make Chicken Republic a foremost chicken brand in Africa.

Chicken Republic historically accounts for circa 44% of our Gross Revenues. We intend to grow Chicken Republic from the current 18 stores to 300 stores by 2012. 80% of these stores will be located in Nigeria, whilst the balance in other African countries such as South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Cameroon, and Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Mauritius, Gambia, Liberia, Guinea, Republic of Benin, Congo, Angola, Tanzania, Zambia and Botswana.

We believe our success is aptly summarised by Chicken Republic’s highly focused and energised brand essence -: “extraordinary chicken for extraordinary people”.

According to its website (http://www.foodconcept.biz/about/history.asp),...

Food Concepts and Entertainment Plc commenced operations in 2001 as a private limited liability company, with the sole aim of revolutionizing the Food and Entertainment industry in the West African region. Food Concepts is uniquely conceived company that is that is built on an insightful and strategic approach to market. Moreover, our track record speaks for itself. We not only pioneered the food court concept in Nigeria, but our committed and highly skilled team has also successfully launched several other brands including Chicken Republic, Butterfield Bakery, Reeds and St Elmos.

Today, we continue to repeat past successes by remaining focused on the core elements of our business: We bring food and entertainment brands to life as we constantly strive to deliver on our vision of “extraordinary satisfaction” for all who interact with our brand

We focus on the preparation and consistent delivery of high quality food products and create contemporary ambient restaurant environments

Belief in extraordinary people is at the heart of what we do and we constantly invest in our employees through training, incentive and reward

Exceptional customer service and added value are our key ingredients

We constantly develop and refine our systems and processes to leverage new business opportunities that deliver excellent returns on investment to our shareholders

Actually no-one has paid me for this--maybe I should ask?--but in the interest of West African solidarity, I am glad to write about it. Honestly, though, it puts Ghanaians to shame to see such quintessentially well-done food outlets like these make their home in Ghana, when Ghanaians claim that they are the "gateway" to West Africa!

My foot!

Next time, will eat there, and bring you some insight into their prices. I did go in, and saw the place was packed for a Saturday. Good stuff!

Out of Spintex Road Darkness...

...there can be psychedelic lights!;-D

Somehow, I cannot help wondering how this picture is a bit of a metaphor of Africa--that for all the chaos that exists, there's always a glimmer of hope--somewhere, somehow...

Road Indiscipline...

...of the highest order!

Last week, this JAGUAR car--yes, a Jaguar!--looked to be abandoned on the speed bump on which the car's tyre met its untimely "demise"! Abandoned, because instead of switching on hazard lights to alert drivers coming up the hill that there was a broken-down car, cars had to pass round it in all its glory (do you not see how it has been crowned with a triangle?;-D)

By the end of the day, the car had been moved.

We live in hope for Ghanaian road indiscipline!

Cautionary Tales of ...Ghanaian Taxis!

There I was last evening sitting in a shared taxi (that's a taxi that takes you to a destination with the price split among the number of occupants) of four people almost at GOIL filling station on the Spintex Road, when the taxi blurts to a rude stop.

The reason was a simple one: petrol--or lack thereof! We had to wait some ten minutes before the taxi driver ran up to GOIL, get some fuel, and get back to the car to fill it up.

As you can imagine, I took the opportunity to take a picture to memorialise some of the hazards our taxi-drivers put us through!

A Vignette of Changing Accra Retail Landscape

What do you get when you get no "dresses to impress"...
















...nor any travel agency to enable travel--and all at A&C Shopping Mall?

What you really get is a narrative of how the formidable Accra Mall has consistently been offering serious competition to this localised super-store in East Legon, which started up so successfully in 2005.

Go to A&C Mall these days, and you'll be presented with a sorry sight of one, two, three shops shutting down, because the competition of Accra Mall is too much. At best, they will go to Accra Mall store instead, as the store--a bags/wallets/shoes enterprise--next to the second picture did only last week. Initially, they had a store at A&C and Accra Mall; now they've completely relocated to the latter.

Interestingly, the store that will come to take over the store in the first picture--T.M.Lewin (a shirt/trousers store)--started very successfully in Accra Mall, and has decided to open an additional branch at A&C!

As to whether T.M.Lewin has made a sound business choice, time will only tell!

TGIF!: Accra Mall Busy Internet Beckons!

Another Friday can mean the beckoning of a weekend. And that means usually one thing for many people in Accra--connecting with their loved ones by Facebook or otherwise at any available place. The magnetism of...

...Accra Mall--for all the headaches it induces for commuters and car-owners alike on the cusp of a Friday evening--still means more will likely come here, shop, and, if with a family, have their kids steal time to check their emails.

Enjoy your weekend!

Funny Quote in a Shop @ A&C Shopping Mall

If they were to change the quote every day, imagine the number of customers they'd get pretending to window-shop:-D

It [Ghana Telecom] Can Work in Ghana!

For a continent so used to being the cynosure of occasionally-Western (and Asian) cynics that feel every one of the 900 million members live on trees, it's very interesting to see that despite the culture of impunity that so-often characterises African nations, it is equally goo d to see that there can be a culture of maintenance--as is the case here, where erstwhile Ghana Telecom workers are maintaining the phone lines.

Soul Food: A Beautiful Tree

As part of my soul food series on this blog, I thought it would be great to use this picture, as I am a sucker for nature.

I took this picture just outside the office. I am ashamed to say I do not even know the name. I love how it continues to grow--rain, heat, extreme heat, or cats-and-dogs rain. It's so relaxing and awesome to see it in its majestic bloom...

A Tale of Two Twixes at Accra's Game Shop

Carefully take note of the caption: "If you buy these items anywhere else, you'll be paying too much." Got it? Great.


Now, here's a twix chocolate bar at GHC1.05 (roughly $US 0.80). It's a fine chocolate specimen, that you might assume to be just this price...



That is until you see this same twix some few metres away from the counter (where the former is located), sitting at a slightly cheaper rate of GHC0.90 (roughly $US0.73).

Now, what's going on? I pointed this out to one of the store-keepers, to which they responded something must have gone wrong?

Like, what, exactly?

When Darkness Falls during the Accra day, it's Usually Rain!

This Monday morning brought to an abrupt end a long holiday that started on Ghana's independence day of 6 March, which fell on a Friday. Ghana celebrated its 52nd anniversary and, as such, it was a relaxing holiday that was replete with the usual politics that is so quintessentially Ghanaian.

None of us could have expected that rain would fall so heavily Sunday night. I rushed for a walk with my pet dog, and decided to catch this picture. The contrast of the darkened sky against the road and trees was too inimitable to miss capturing for posterity.

And so it is here!

When Commercial Enterprises in Ghana Assume Corporate Images...

To the untrained eye, this looks like the picture of any corporate office in the country, what with the leather sofa; the table; the artificial plant; the omnipresent cool air-conditioning.

But you might be wrong; it's only the waiting area of no less than a Chinese restaurant located off the Spintex Road. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be bringing you more of these pictures.

I sense that many erstwhile commercial enterprises (including retailers) are slowly and surely adopting corporate-like images of themselves. I am not quite sure what it means for the country, because I have come to appreciate in this country that corporate image is rarely ever synonymous with quality of service!

New DVLA Plates for Ghanaians!

This post is really in response to a visitor to this blog who resides in Ghana, but wanted to know what is happening with the number plates, now that the numbers have been exhausted.

This picture simply shows that an "09" will be added to the erstwhile number plates that have ceased production insofar as new ones are concerned. Presumably, by 2010, the plates will move from "09" to "10", and maintain regional representation (GR/GT/AS/etc), followed by maximum four digits.

By the way, real life has gotten in the way in a way that has inhibited regular blogging. Thanks for your patronage, nonetheless!