Ghana is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, driven by an emerging oil and gas industry, a growing base of consumers and significant foreign investment.
Its capital, Accra, is one of Africa’s fastest emerging cities. According to Mastercard’s African Cities Growth Index, Accra ranked Africa’s top city in terms of economic potential over the next five years.
Similarly, the city has been ranked the second most attractive destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Africa, according to PwC, a global lead auditing firm.
Accra is a good example of a city that has a good reputation throughout Africa and beyond for the quality of its communications infrastructure, low crime rates and steady democracy.
But the city has also experienced significant demographic growth, its population expanding to over 3.5 million people – a 35 percent increase in the past decade, placing increasing strain on the city’s resources.
Like all African cities which are currently experiencing rapid rates of urbanization, transportation is one of Accra’s key challenges with growing numbers of citizens and vehicles placing increasing pressure on the city’s road networks. With 90 percent of all transport in Accra by road, so traffic jams are common especially during week days.
Being the nation’s capital city, majority of the people living in Accra are officials of the government, industrialists, business executives, diplomatic mission employees, and native Gas and Adangme, the land owners of Accra.
The Mayor of Accra, Alfred Vanderpujie said: “As Ghana’s capital, Accra is emerging as one of Africa’s economic success stories”.
He continued: “But such growth is not sustainable in the long term if we do not act now to put in place the systems and processes of the future. Technology is clearly one of the fundamental building blocks for creating a smarter and better functioning Accra.”
Accra like many cities across Africa is facing the dual challenge of rapid urban and economic growth. The rising numbers of residents place increased strain on existing resources and require more effective delivery of city services such as water, sanitation, refuse, public safety, education and healthcare.
Ghana has grown so fast in recent years that electricity supply has become a serious problem and Accra regularly suffers from load-shedding and blackouts.
Nevertheless, Accra which stretches along the Ghanaian Atlantic coast and extends north into Ghana’s interior was originally built around a port. It served as the capital of the British Gold Coast, the olden name of Ghana between 1877 till date.
Once merely a 19th-century suburb of Victoriaborg, Accra has since transformed into a modern metropolis; the city’s architecture reflects this history, ranging from 19th-century architecture buildings to modern skyscraper and apartment blocks.
The city serves as the Greater Accra region’s economic and administrative hub. It is furthermore a centre of a wide range of nightclubs, restaurants, and hotels. Since the early 1990s, a number of new buildings have been built, including the multi-storey Saudi Crown Prince-owned Movenpick Ambassador Hotel, Labadi Beach Hotel, Lapalm Royal Beach Hptel, African Regency Hotel, West Hills Mall, West Africa’s largest shopping mall, Accra International Conference Centre, National Theatre, University of Ghana, Accra Sports Stadium, among others.
Furthermore, the Accra Central Business District contains some of the city’s banks and departmental stores, businesses, while Ministries area contains the Ghana’s government administration.
It is the place where all the various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are located to ensure easy access. It was chosen to house the MDAs because of its proximity to the then seat of government, Castle Osu now the Flag Staff House. So, during the week, it is always brisk with office activities. In the nutshell, all contract signings and approvals, executions are under the purview of these men and women at the Ministries.
Major Economic activities in Accra include the financial, telecom agricultural sectors, Atlantic fishing, and the manufacture of processed food, agro-businesses, lumber, plywood, textiles, clothing, and chemicals.
The Kwame Nkrumah Circle which is named after Ghana’s first President and a great Pan-Africanist Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah is always busy with these economic activities.
By far, it is the most central point in Accra and life never stops there. Two of the three interchanges of the Kwame Nkrumah Circle flyover project were recently inaugurated by President John Dramani Mahama.
It signifies the completion of the first phase of the interchange project which is to help ease traffic congestion in one of the busiest areas of Accra.
The Akasanoma Road that links the Nsawam Road, around the Vodafone building, and the other one which links the Nsawam Road to the Nkrumah Avenue, around the GCB Limited building is opened to traffic.
The opening of the road to traffic has brought considerable relief to commuters on the Nsawam – Accra corridor. It also enables the Brazilian contractor to move some of the traffic onto the two flyovers and create space to concentrate on the rest of the works remaining to be done.
The third flyover under construction plus other works – a new statue of Ghana’s first President Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, a fountain and a police post, new lorry parks – among others, are expected to be completed and inaugurated before September 2016.
The circle is also a home to large pedestrian shopping market as well as a transport hub for travelers within Accra and outside Accra.
Additionally, the circle is place where people especially foreigners purchase and register their SIM cards before they can access mobile phone services. The place is always booming with business activities. Because of its lively nature people jokily say Ghana is being run by Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
From the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, travelers can pick a commercial van popularly known in Ghana as trotro or taxi cab to the magnificent Accra Mall. This shopping mall which is located on the Spintex Road adjacent the Tema Motorway is the finest and largest shopping in Ghana.
The mall enclosed, fully air-conditioned shopping centre accommodates 65 line-shops which is owned by foreign Ghanaian retailers. It houses a clinic, banks, among others.
The mall also has a food court being run by international franchise such as Barcelos, Ocean Sting, and Rhraspody.
While Accra offers a wide range of international cuisine, there’s nothing quite like sampling traditional dishes in some of the capital’s best-loved spots.
From jollof rice to waakye, freshly-caught fish to spicy stews, you’re bound to find something on the menu to tickle your tastebuds. Dining Ghanaian-style is an experience for the novice – you’ll often find yourself navigating a dish without a knife and fork, for starters. It’s all part of the fun.
Although it is practically a roadside bar, Auntie Muni’s has earned a formidable reputation in Accra for waakye (waa-chey), a mélange of dark black-eyed beans and rice, with meat and some fish, often eel. Customers queue up at a netted bar to pick from ingredients. Stringy noodles, hard-boiled eggs, various vegetables and hunks of steamed meat tumble in the waakye (only available on weekends) like an ungainly salad.
The hub of the assemblage is shitor, a peppery condiment made of chilli, dried shrimp and ginger. The place located at Labone, a suburb of Accra is where most of the actors and actresses, TV and radio personalities go for their authentic Ghanaian cuisines.
Suitably situated close to the centre of Osu, Buka is, without question, one of the best lunch spots in the city – and more often than not has full tables to show for it. Set on the first floor, it gives a sense of escape from the throng, with lively music and wraparound wooden trellises adding to the ambience.
The food itself hinges largely on Ghanaian and Nigerian specialties – dishes include okra stew and eba (a dough ball eaten with stews).
Another Ghanaian restaurant which most people including tourists visit for their local dishes is the Asanka Restaurant. The small restaurant has an up-market local feel to it. Under low bamboo ceilings, and with African motifs painted on the walls, the place has a relaxed family atmosphere. The small menu is 100 per cent Ghanaian and one of the most authentic in Accra.
The ‘banku’ and tilapia are particularly good there, but almost all dishes are a decent bet. For the uninitiated, the water bowls and liquid are to wash your hands after digging in with your fingers.
Also, the Ghanaian Village at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel is noted for serving distinguishingly Ghanaian delicacies including ‘waakye’, plain rice, ‘jolof’ rice, ‘tuo-zaafi’, banku, fried plantains, bean with gari, and ‘fufu’.
This wonders restaurant is uniquely situated at the back of La Palm Royal Hotel’s expansive grounds, this attractive thatched restaurant with beachside tables is a winning spot to sample some distinctive Ghanaian flavours. Its buffet is easily the best place to eat in the hotel – try the simple but much-loved red red (bean stew).
Besides, serving their customers with the delicious Ghanaian dishes, the patrons are also treated to some of the popular Ghanaian music including ‘Telemo’ composed by Gasmilla.
Majority of Ghanaians including legendary boxer Azumah Nelson said that song is his favourite.
Interestingly, the major football clubs in the city of Accra are the Accra Hearts of Oak, Accra Great Olympics, and Liberty Professionals, but the Kumasi-based Asante Kotoko is also dominant in Accra.
Although, the euphoria which used to characterise match days of the Ghana Premier League a decade ago, the streets of Accra is usually normal during the match days. Unless, matches between Accra Heart of Oak and Asante Kotoko, which are archrivals since their formative days.
Also, matches involving the senior national team, the Black Stars always attract huge crowds to the Accra Sports Stadium as well as the major streets of Accra.
Indeed, Osu is probably the most happening part of town. The busy Cantonments Road, known to virtually everyone as Oxford Street, is a hub of activity 24 hours a day. Many of Accra’s best bars, restaurants and shops are in Osu.
Stalls line the street and hawkers hound tourists selling personalised wristbands, fake Rolexes and football shirts.
Cantonments Road, between Lokko Road and the busy Danquah Circle, might be known as Oxford Street, but shares little with London’s shopping hotspot. The only similarity is the volume of people and traffic. Probably the busiest street in Accra, it is the site of bars, clubs, restaurants and boutique shops. There are no specific tourist sights, but its constant bustle makes it an essential part of any visit.
The area is even busier during the evenings when revelers hit the bars. Many of the shops and restaurants are actually off Cantonments Road, on the quieter numbered lanes. At one end of Cantonments Road is the busy Danquah Circle, a roundabout on the Ring Road, named after one of Ghana’s founding fathers JB Danquah. The circle is generally crowded day and night.
For shopping, most of the big men and women buy all provisions and vegetables from the three South African retail giants: Shoprite, Game Stores, and Price a South African. But there are other satellite markets which serve the other groups of people.
To entertain the people, Silverbird operates a huge five-screen cinema theatre complex. It also retails books, CDs, DVDs, and electronic games. YFM, a private radio station, a night club, and bars are all located at the mall.
From the above, the mall is another place where the movers and shakers of the Ghanaian economy meet to make, plan, analyse business decisions, and to dine and win.
The mall is also close to East Legon, Airport Residential, Cantonments, and Ridge, all suburbs of the city where the rich and powerful men and ladies live.
For instance, former presidents John Kufuor, and Jerry John Rawlings, and Abedi Apele, Africa’s football legend live at Airport Residential, Ridge, and East Legon respectively.
On the other hand, Chorkor, Mamprobi, and Korle Gonno, are suburbs where majority of the poor people are living, while suburbs including North Kaneshie, Madia, Nima, Tesano, Labone, Osu, and Achimota house the middle class.
Owing to its location in the Dahomey Gap, where the coast runs parallel to the prevailing moist monsoonal winds, Accra features a tropical savanna climate that borders on a semiarid climate.
In West Africa, the Dahomey Gap refers to the portion of the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic that extends all the way to the coast in Benin, Togo and Ghana, thus separating the forest zone that covers much of the south of the region into two separate parts.
The average annual rainfall is about 730 mm, which falls primarily during Ghana’s two rainy seasons. The chief rainy season begins in April and ends in mid-July, whilst a weaker second rainy season occurs in October. Rains usually fall in short intensive storms and causes local flooding in which drainage channels are obstructed.
Furthermore, Accra being a cosmopolitan city is a home to the native Ga-Adangme people, but several other people including the Akans, Ewes, Dagombas, Gonjas, Waala/Dagabas, and foreign nationals are living there.
Interestingly, majority of the residents in Accra can express themselves in English, owning to the fact that English is the only official language in Ghana.
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, African Eye Report
