#FilmNoir, #Accra-style: of High-Rise Buildings by Accra's Beach

I took this picture around the beach, near Osu, at the centre of Accra. Ghana's Social Security National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has invested our pensions heavily into some up-and-coming flats near the beach, which prices are most likely high-and-exorbitant, totally outside the brackets of the putative middle-class family with 2.5 children!

I deliberately used a blue-ish filter as a kind of tongue-in-cheek to the film genre "film noir", which connotes gritty realism: a fatalism that has an under-current of menace, or a sense of foreboding of storm clouds ahead.

Simply put: there is a falling cedi, yet a surge of high-rise buildings. A veritable film noir, Accra-style!

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Happy 55th Republic Day to Ghana!

HAPPY 55TH $REPUBLIC DAY, #GHANA! ● As a potential #Grexit weighs heavily on the minds of #Europe, will this small West African country, which was once the darling of the West for what some consider its successful prosecution of #IMF policies, begin to take cues from #Greece?

Further, as it goes down another round of IMF money, will Ghana consider how Grexit may inform Ghana's own locus in the West African integration dynamic of #ECOWAS when it's #paybacktime to the IMF? Will Ghana continue to overlook the regional space, including Ecowas Bank for Investment & Development, or will it experience the regional-panacea epiphany? #AFRICAINFOCUSSHOW

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Thank you to all Visitors! #AccraFloods still on Ghanaian's Minds...

To say 3 June was a bad day is to understate it. It was a day Ghana would suffer twin calamities of torrential rain that triggered floods throughout the centre of Accra (spawning #AccraFloods on twitter) and the explosion of a GOIL filling station killing some 140 people.

For which reason this picture is important as it is the SUV of the Environmental Protection Agency.

If you can quickly overlook the irony of the EPA using a gas-guzzling vehicle like this monster, allow me to inform you that the sighting of this SUV on the day I took this picture was accompanied by a Landcruiser out of which the Minister for Environment...Mahama Ayariga issued from to give instructions on the closure of the restaurant sited on the premises of the filling station.

The closure was predicated on premise that restaurants and fuel stations are strange bedfellows and should not be welcomed.

And so, the restaurant that the EPA vehicle was parked in front of has been closed!

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Burkina Faso without Compaore!

People power!

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

UN Mission on Ebola for West Africa sets up in Ghana

We are living in interesting and other-worldly times. This is the first time in one's living memory a UN Mission has set up in Ghana. This time, it is to help counter one of the most grave health epidemics of our time.

There are no recorded cases of Ebola in Ghana. Many of West Africa's health structures are found wanting in their boldness to tackle such a crisis. But we are soldiering on. 

All of West Africa is soldiering on.

We have no choice.

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

Fwd: [Africa in Focus Blog!] Countdown to the Maiden Edition of "Africa in Focus" on 6 May: Research & Communications Team Meet

It was with with more-than-bated breath that the Research & Communications Unit/Business Desk of Radio XYZ's "Africa in Focus" show met 2 May, 2014 at Eastgate Hotel to make final preparations for the very-first edition of the show on 6 May.

With sponsors in West Africa Civil Society Institute(WACSI) officially on board to take the programme to even greater heights, the Unit was happy to have interacted with key WACSI staff who paved the way on the future of the partnership. 

There was general reporting of activities, and a lot of exciting information-exchange on developments during the past week, including on the just-ended Pan-African Conference on Inequalities that was held here in Accra.

The Research & Comms Unit meets every week at Eastgate Hotel with the Business Desk to monitor and evaluate previous editions of AIF show; progress on the direction of the research component of the "Africa in Focus" show; the state of communication instruments (facebook; twitter; google plus community); how far weekly activities are contributing to enriching the Unit's monitoring of African integration dynamics of ECOWAS; the AU; and Africa's engagement with members of the Global South. 

Finally, the meetings seek to undertake innovative strategies to further-educate the public on Africa's development.

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Posted By Blogger to Africa in Focus Blog! at 5/03/2014 07:58:00 AM

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_____________________________________________________________________
E.K.Bensah Jr, Head of Research & Host -- "Africa in Focus"(Radio XYZ 93.1FM)
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*Telegram/Whatsapp:+233.311.789

________________________________________________________________________________

EKBENSAH DotNet: Regional integration Intelligence| West Africa-ECOWAS | Communications | Civil society 

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Ghana Police serving and protecting!

Terribly amused by this Friday morning picture of an officer of the Motor Transport Unit of the Ghana Police helping push the broken down car of a commuter.

Refreshing!

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

Atlantis FM in Accra

Out in town. Remembering, also, how beautiful Accra is.

How often do we find radio stations being located in such scenic places, including a beautiful tree gracing its front?

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

A Happy World Consumer Right's Day?

*HAPPY WORLD **#CONSUMER** RIGHTS DAY*>>

15 March is a day to remind consumers of their right to complain for more effective and efficient public services. Are YOU aware of YOUR rights? #15March

On Thursday, I had the priviledge of attending a policy roundtable on consumer rights, which was organised by CUTS--a consumer protection NGO working in areas of consumer protection, trade and development, competition policy and law, economic regulation and good governance.

Present were regulatory agencies of Public Utilities Regulatory Commission; Food and Drugs Authority; National Communications Authority, and other civil society organisations. They offered frank views on the role of the regulator in protecting the consumer.

I believe there will be important follow-ups from this meeting, with CUTS playing an important role in sustaining the platform.

When #Graphic advertises #Voltic Sachet Water. . .

When you think of drinking #water in #Ghana, you are supposed to think of #Voltic, which is known for having provided bottled water for years in this country.

But it also produces #sachetwater, which is a "staple" of many a #westAfrican economy. I must say this is the first time I have seen it advertising its sachet water. Is it an indication of #badtimes for the company?

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Welcome to Oxford Street Mall, welcome Big Capital!

#Capitalism has a new home: #Ghana, where malls spring up faster than you can say "is that another #Lebanese retail outfit?".

Oxford Shopping Mall is a new one, boasting five floors. #Shoprite is already running. Quick! Run and go spend. !!:-\

I guess the only consolation now is that in the competition between Accra Mall, A&C Plaza, Marina Mall and Oxford Street Mall, there will be some sense of discrete units of the population aggregated in certain parts of Accra.

As to whether this will be a boon to the horrendous Christmas traffic, the jury is out on that one!

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Sent by WhatsApp

Picked up your Neighbourhood paper?

I know it has been more than a while. I am around, just experiencing a LOT of real life, including following up on new, indigenous projects like this one.

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What if we could Aggregate our Choice of...Food?

In a country that seems to depend a lot on hope, Ghanaians will be happy to know that technology is slowly-displacing this more-ephemeral of sensations to one predicated on practicality.

Ghanaians have been using social media long enough to know of blog, and news aggregators. But what if we could aggregate our choice of food?

Well, hello Ghana, hello food!  Actually: no pun intended. “Hellofood” is the latest and newest thing to hit town—or rather, our taste buds. It’s an exciting new way of ensuring we have our food orders delivered safely, conveniently; and easily into our homes.

Ghanaians love their food, and in an age quasi-obsessed with aggregation and choice, convenience can only come in the form of Hellofood!

Ghana Police on watch...

...on #spintexRoad. Traffic flow is supa-dupa! Give it up for them:-D


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Check your Gas prices!

If you ever had any doubt as to what to pay for filling your gas, the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company (GCMC) may not have a dedicated website to finding out, but I must personally say their efficiency is assured!

You can find out more about them here: http://www.energymin.gov.gh/?page_id=136


Keep safe -- handling your gas!

It's Friday! Time to Step out!

It's become a bit of a cliché to claim Ghanaians go out in style, but thing is the women probably are more stylish than we men! Check out the variety of styles and colours in these designs the women are wearing. Taken on a Sunday, which is the traditional Church day, I was sure to capture all sorts of colours and designs that probably make up the beautiful kaleidoscope of Ghana's culture.

Make your weekend safe! And, might I add, great to be back!

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