Until next time Ghana

For our final post we have compiled our responses to the following questions: (1) what are some of the things that we enjoyed or appreciated the most about Ghana (2) what are some of the things that we are most looking forward to coming home to and (3) what are some of the things that we learned about Ghana that surprised us. 

We have kept each list short on detail knowing that ideally, each point can spark conversation and interesting stories once we arrive home. 

Some of the things that we enjoyed most about Ghana 

1) people: everyone acknowledges or wants to get to know each other. "Good afternoon" or "you are welcome" are common greetings from strangers.

2) prices: beer is $1.50, taxis are $2.00, internet is pay as you go, and most people have multiple SIM cards on different wireless providers. 

3) food (to some extent): purchasing coconuts, mangos, pinapple, etc so easily on the street has been great. We also enjoyed a number local dishes including waakye, red-red, and jolof rice. That said, we are looking forward to a normal eating routine that includes vegetables!

4) ease of purchasing basic staples: there are shops at every corner. You can buy phone credits, fruit, crackers, water and even beer quickly in Ghana. The challenge is that many of the street stalls sell the same things. If you want something "unique" such as jam or cereal you need to find a grocery store which can be a challenge. 

5) bargaining: in Ghana the price of many goods and services is not fixed.

6) fun custom clothing: people wear awesome African prints here that many would shy away from at home. 

7) consistent early sunrise: It's so easy to get up and get going when the sun rises early. 

8) music and dancing (see Adonai by Sarkodie feat. Castro) 

9) the work ethic of the entrepreneurs we worked with: they all lead very busy lives but were still driven to grow their businesses. 

10) beautiful beaches 

Some of the things that we are most looking forward to coming home to

1) friends and family.

2) multiculturalism.

3) clean running water and toilets: we have learned to appreciate a hot shower and a functioning toilet. We never realized how lucky we are in Canada. 

4) understanding the local language.

5) produce, especially vegetables.

6) bug free homes: most houses in Ghana do not have windows or doors that are completely sealed which means that it's pretty easy for bugs to get in and make themselves at home. 

7) constant, reliable electricity.

8) price disclosure: in Ghana people are often reluctant to disclose the price of goods or services to you, especially if they know you. They want you to decide what you can pay. This is a nice custom if you are a local and understand the approximate market price but it is difficult for us to determine how much we should pay. Following many transactions we were unsure whether we paid too little or too much.  

9) credit card society: stores in Ghana only accept cash. 

10) a government that has managed our economy well during challenging times.

Some of the most surprising things we learned while in Ghana 

1) for the most part Ghanaians do not eat or produce chocolate, regardless of the fact that Ghana is one of the worlds top cocoa producers. 

2) Ghanaians barely drink coffee. If they do it's instant coffee. No Starbucks in sight. 

3) English is more of a 2nd language. People prefer to communicate in their tribal languages (of which there are too many to count).  

4) the seasons are rainy or dry. And it always hot.  

5) everyone is dressed well no matter their socio economic status (see custom clothing above).

6) lack of any multiculturalism and frequent surprise from kids that we are white (one kid told Emily that she even felt different).

7) stereotypes about the availability of food and clean drinking water are false, at least in Ghana. Inexpensive food and water sachets are everywhere, but variety is lacking. 

8) ability to access internet:getting a SIM card is easy and credits are cheap and available everywhere. 

9) roads: there is a mixture of beautifully paved roads and dirt roads that most cars at home would never attempt.

10)Ghanaians are afraid of water. Very few people go in the ocean despite it being in their backyard. 

Overall we had an amazing experience in Ghana and can't wait to return! A special thank you to all the people that helped make our trip so memorable. 

Taxis and... Tro-tros?

The modes of transportation available in Ghana contrast in many ways with those available in Canada.  

Taxis and "tro-tros" are the primarily modes of transportation in Ghana. It is somewhat unusual for a person to own a car. Taxis and tro-tros are widely available even in remote areas. 

People wait for a taxi or tro-tro at the side of the road and use gestures to indicate to passing drivers (1) which mode of transportation they want to take, and (2) where they want to go. A few weeks passed before we started to understand the meaning of the various gestures! 

Taxis driving through Takoradi Market Circle 

Taxis are similar to those at home to the extent that they are typically small cars. Unlike those at home, most taxis are in a poor state of repair. In one instance, we waited in a taxi while the driver performed some mechanical adjustments under the hood to ensure that we would reach our destination. The condition of the vehicles can be attributed to both their age (most have cassette players) and the poor condition of many roads. [As an aside, many roads are so full of potholes that small children attempt to fill the holes with dirt in exchange for small tips from taxi drivers. These's no doubt that some municipal workers in Ontario could learn a think or two from these children.]

Almost all taxis are decorated by the driver with some type of religious sign or slogan (e.g., "Jesus Saves!", "God is Good!", "Allahu Akbar", or "Psalm 21"). Many drivers also paste stickers depicting famous people they admire on their windshields (Nelson Mandela and Bob Marley are two of the most common). Also, taxis in Ghana cost much less than in Toronto (even considering the exchange rate), in part because prices are negotiable. Supply and demand essentially dictates the price. 

Often taxi drivers attempt to overcharge us because we are "obrunis" and less likely to bargain. After learning our lesson once or twice we quickly learned what is an appropriate price and the art of bargaining with a taxi driver. In contrast to the drivers that attempt to take advantage of our inexperience, some drivers offer us fair prices because, as they say, "The Lord will not reward those who cheat others." We have even had former taxi drivers recognize us around Town and give us a warm welcome. There's no doubt that we stand out from the crowds. 

A trotro waiting to depart (behind a TV remote seller's stand)

 

One of the larger trotros

Taking a tro-tro can be a fascinating experience. Unlike taxis, no comparable mode of transportation exists in Canada. The average tro-tro fits approximately 15 people, or as many as the "mate" (think, driver's assistant) can fit and still slide the door closed. lnside a full tro-tro it's tight, hectic, and hot. The upside is that tro-tro rides are dirt cheap even over long distances (i.e., approximately $3 for a two hour trip). 

The first step is finding the right tro-tro for your destination. There are few designated stops; typically, you just wait on the side of the road. As an obruni, once you find the right tro-tro you pay the mate and make sure that he knows where you are getting off. Locals typically hiss or make a comment when they are close to their destination but we haven't mastered that yet. 

Chris "enjoying" his ride in a tro-tro

Lack of leg room 

We have had some interesting experiences in tro-tros. 

First, on a trip to nearby Cape Coast (about 2 hours from Takoradi), in a particularly warm and tight tro-tro the driver shoved an uncooperative baby goat into the back of the tro-tro at a particular stop. Unfortunately for us, we were seated in the back row. Emily could reach out and touch the goat. Our sympathy for the baby goat increased throughout the trip as it screamed out at each tro-tro stop. That said, our primary concern was that the goat was properly tied down.  

Second, on a tro-tro journey from a place called Winneba where we attended Fred's wedding (more on that in another post) we were fortunate to quickly find a tro-tro that was heading to Takoradi (approximately three hours away). We noticed the driver begin to communicate with the driver of the tro-tro in front using hand gestures about one hour into the trip. We were unsure what was going on but impressed by the drivers' ability to communicate while driving 80 km/hr. 

To our surprise, both tro-tros suddenly stopped and we were ushered out of our tro-tro and into the one in front. The drivers communicated in their tribal language, so we were unsure of what was happening but were willing to go with the flow. Eventually, the mate pointed to the other tro-tro and told us that it would take us to Takoradi. About an hour later we again were moved to another tro-tro. After 4 hours and 3 separate trotros we finally arrived back in Takoradi. After that adventure we decided that would be the final tro-tro excursion of our trip! 

We learned that trotros don't like to compete for customers if they are on the same route. Instead, one tro-tro will take all of the passengers and while the other starts on a different route. We are consistently impressed by the creativity of businesspeople in all sectors in Ghana. 

Micro-enterprise Conference at Skyy Media

On a rainy July 16th we hosted a Microenterprise Conference at a local Takoradi media station in partnership with IT4Teens and the Takoradi YMCA. The Conference was an opportunity for us to recognize the entrepreneurs that we worked with for their participation in our workshops and, more importantly, for the entrepreneurs to meet representatives from local micro finance institutions, media, and other public interest organizations. 

Our objective was to provide a forum where the microenterprise representatives would recognize the entrepreneurs' business goals and their basic understanding of business principles. We hoped that entrepreneurs would build relationships with the institutions that could best help them reach their business goals.

We were pleased that each microfinance institution expressed an interest in working with the volunteers. IT4Teens and our friend Marian Wiredu will continue to meet with the entrepreneurs periodically to help facilitate relationship building between the entrepreneurs and the microfinance institions and to monitor their progress implementing concepts that they learned in our workshops. We are looking forward to updates about their progress! 

The following are some pictures from the Conference:

The Conference participants were also treated to a presentation by the winning group from the entrepreneurship challenge that we facilitated at Archbishop Porter Girls Secondary School. Here are some pictures from their impressive business pitch for a company that manufactures products using recycled products including used water sachets:

Nzulezo, the Village on Stilts

Nzulezo is a village built entirely on a lake in the far west part of Ghana, near the border with Côte d'Ivoire. The residents of Nzulezo are descendants of a tribe that first settled on the lake hundreds of years ago to escape persecution. 

The journey to the Village of Nzulezo is a breathtaking 30-45 minute boat ride from shore in the rainy season. In the dry season when water levels are low the boat ride is closer to 20 minutes. 

We were impressed to learn that the children of Nzulezo learn to swim as early as they walk. Many members of the Nzulezo community are employed in the fishing industry. 

The community faces significant economic challenges, in part because of its remote location. 

We were pleased to have made Nzulezo a stop on our trip to Ghana. The following are some pictures from the trek to Nzulezo and of the community itself:

Pre-departure with Charis (also a volunteer) and Marian from IT4Teens

Two noobs ready to go 

 Approaching the village 

To the right is the school. In the foreground is a soccer field that can only be used in dry season when the water recedes. 

Kids love getting their picture taken wherever we go. 

Our work with entrepreneurs in Takoradi

We have facilitated five in-class entrepreneurship workshops over a course of two weeks. Generally, we covered business strategy, marketing, finance, accounting, and operations. We also discussed why it's important for an entrepreneur to have a clear business plan. 

We quickly learned that many Ghanaian entrepreneurs understand business strategy. Conversely, modules on marketing, finance, and accounting were the most valuable to the entrepreneurs. 

We are grateful to our friend Marian Wiredu of IT4Teens for her impressive ability to translate business concepts from English-Fante and her tireless support throughout our time in Takoradi. 

On three additional days we travelled to the business locations of eight entrepreneurs who consistently attended the in-class workshops to gain a deeper understanding of their businesses and to provide specific advice based on our observations. 

The eight entrepreneurs personify what we have observed is the large "entrepreneurial class" in Ghana generally and in Takoradi in particular. Each business had strengths and weaknesses, but most importantly, each of the eight entrepreneurs had goals for their business and the ambition to learn what they could do to reach those goals. 

E. is a cassava and plantain farmer who immigrated to Ghana from Cote D'Ivoire with his three sons. We were humbled to witness first hand the hard work required to tend the cassava. From his (limited) farming experience, Chris could relate when E. explained the importance of planting cassava during the dusty dry season so that the cassava sticks could mature during the rainy season. 

E. faces significant financial challenges during each growing season while he waits for his produce to reach maturity but generates income at harvest by selling a high-quality product. E. aspires to "be the best farmer in Takoradi", in part, by expanding his current acreage and diversifying his risk by planting cocoa. 

 

J.'s family owns a newspaper, soaps, and appliances retail shop. The family, which we learned has overcome recent personal challenges, wants to grow the appliance business and, eventually, to open new locations. 

K. is an impressive Ghanaian chef with a popular food station. We enjoyed a sampling of her authentic Ghanaian dishes on a few occassions and, each time, were left wanting more of her fried plantains (and Jolof rice... and beans... and chicken)! The consistent flow of customers to K.'s food station is a testament to the deliciousness and quality of her food. K. plans to open additional food stations throughout Takoradi, leveraging her popular brand, and ultimately, to open a restaurant. 

V. is a dressmaker and the designer/maker of the beautiful African-print dress that Emily is holding below. When we visited, V.'s shop was buzzing with the sound of sewing machines. V. explained that she constantly has orders that she is working to fill; a testament to the impressiveness of her designs. V. intends to save enough money to purchase a machine that will enable her to complete more dresses each day.

L. manufactures and sells ointments and creams for a variety of skin ailments. Her target market is smaller, less developed communities where residents cannot afford expensive, name-brand products. Customers frequently testify to the benefit of using her products, L. explained to us. She intends to expand her business by selling products in more communities. Her goal is to open her own school where she will teach others.  

A. taught himself the shoemaking trade and has been designing and creating men's and women's shoes since the early 2000s. We were impressed by the design and quality of his products, and by the fact that he could design and build a pair of shoes in only two days! A. plans to purchase a spacious shipping container to operate his business in so that he has more room to work. 

M. designs and manufactures jewellery using authentic African beads. She uses high quality, authentic African beads, resisting the temptation to use low-cost imported beads, unlike many of her competitors. M. intends to begin branding her products based on what she learned about marketing in our workshops. Her goal is to hire employees to assist with production and running the business. 

We increased our understanding of the challenges and opportunities that each of these entrepreneurs face by visiting them at their places of business. We are grateful to each of them for welcoming us and for sharing their stores, both business-related and personal. We are hopeful that each of them is able to successfully apply something they learned in our workshops and are looking forward to updates on their progress and ultimately, their success stories. 

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Chickens, wild dogs, and goats roam in Ghana like pigeons, squirrels, and raccoons in Toronto. At sunrise each morning we wake to the call of a rooster so loud that it feels like its in our bedroom. We often peer out of our window and see a herd of goats or flock of chickens wandering by. 

The chickens, goats, and sheep, we are told, all belong to someone. From our perspective it's difficult to see how anyone keeps track of their critters. They do not live in pens, nor are they marked or tagged. 

We are frequently impressed by the ability of goats and sheep to avoid a tragic end wandering through traffic. Sometimes, it seems, they are not so lucky. We have joked that in Ghana it seems that the chicken crosses the road, literally, to get to the "other side."

Enjoy some of our many pictures of the local "wildlife":

A goat walks into a bar

Working in Kwesimintim

Since July 7th we have hosted entrepreneurship and innovation workshops for entrepreneurs in Kwesimintim, Takoradi in partnership with an organization called IT4Teens. 

IT4Teens facilitates I.T. workshops for local youth. It has been nationally recognized in Ghana as a "change leader" for recognizing the importance of providing I.T. to youth, based on the understanding that I.T. skills are a critical tool for a person's growth and development. It is clear that the IT4Teens visionaries, Erasmus Akon and Marian Ewurama Wiredu, are making an impressive impact on local youth. [Note: We will post more on IT4Teens and their impressive workshops in another post.] IT4Teens perceived that community members could also benefit from basic business training, which we have worked to provide. 

Kwesimintim is the local community within Takoradi where have hosted our entrepreneurship workshops (think, like Leslieville or Corktown in Toronto) and is the community in which IT4Teens is based. Kwesimintim is a less developed community within Takoradi, which increases the potential impact of the IT4Teens workshops and those that we have facilitated. 

We had privilege of meeting the Chief of Kwesimintim and his elders in late June to inform them of our plans to facilitate workshops in the community and to seek their permission to proceed. [As an aside, the hundreds of local communities in Ghana are led by chiefs who are prohibited from involvement in politics, but maintain symbolic roles as community leaders. Communities also elect MPs to a federal legislature, similar to our system in Canada.] The Chief and his elders accepted our objective and agreed to promote our workshops to community members, in part, using the P.A. system that is located in the centre of the community and is used to broadcast information to local residents. 

Street addresses are rare in Takoradi. Accordingly, most locations are identified by the most recognizable landmark nearby or by the closest intersection. For instance, when we travel to IT4Teens by taxi, we ask to travel to the Kwesimintim traffic light, to the building beside the Catholic Church [Note: More on bargaining with taxi drivers and other means of transportation in another post.]

Part of the Kwesimintim community

We have enjoyed an authentic Ghanaian experience as guests in Kwesimintim (there are no supermarkets, restaurants, or other chain stores there). The locals are friendly, and the children are curious about us "obrunis". Chris has been asked by men to marry their daughters and Emily seems to receive much more attention when Chris is not nearby.  At approximately 3pm each day, when school is finished for the day, we experience a consistent stream of greetings though the curtains at IT4Teens entrance: "obruni hello", "obruni, how are you?", "obruni, goodbye". It's all part of what has made visiting Ghana a unique experience.