A consultant (and a half) in Ghana

My recent travel to Ghana gave me the chance to continue this saga I started during my indian adventure. In fact I spent the first 2 weeks of January working with Amend.org, an organization involved in road-safety education in Africa. The goal of the project was to evaluate the possible distribution models for Amend's newly produced reflective backpack. I started this project last October, together with other 3 fellow sloanies. Unfortunately my teammates couldn't join me for the on-site visit in Accra (Ghana's capital) but I could count on another valid support, my girlfriend (the "half" from post's title), who bravely (and unaware of the workload waiting for her) accompanied me in this journey. I will not describe in depth my work there but I want nonetheless highlight how rewarding was collaborating with Amend. The project was both interesting and challenging, spanning from marketing to operations, definetely the kind of engagement every consultant has fun doing. Even more important, Amend's effort in reducing road-traffic injuries among children is remarkable. If you're looking for a good cause to donate some money (or time) I suggest you to consider it. 

 Here are some pics and below few observations about Ghana: 

Funerals: That sounds odd but Ghana's funerals are way different from ours. When a person dies the celebration following is huge, with music and people dancing (even though closest relatives and friends may not be in a party mood). Funerals happen often in weekends and involve a big number of people, the more the persons the better. Surprisingly, it's common for Ghanaian's people to go to funerals also of people they barely (or didn't) know to get some free booze... Funeral-crashers! Also these celebrations are a huge economic endeavor (drinks, food, etc...) and all relatives and friends can contribute with a quote. The amazing thing is that by sponsoring the funeral you get a share of all profits resulting from the donations given by the invitees. I've been told that there's people doing this as a job, also if money available are not enough people borrow money. Leveraged funerals! Too bad I didn't have the time to participate to one... 

Food: Ghanaian's food is excellent, quite spicy and tasty. Many dishes are based on chicken, fish (try the Tilapia), banku (so similar to Italian's polenta!), rice, and my favourite, Plantain! This is a kind of banana, only bigger and greener than the ones we are used to. They are consumed as potatoes in western countries: grilled, fried, as chips, but not fresh. Street food deserves its own paragraph: Accra is packed with food sellers where you can get: plantain, coconut, mango, pineapple, pawpaw, watermelon, meat-sandwich, ... If you know what to get you can have a delicious meal for 1-2 GHC (0.5-1 euros). 

Street-sellers: I came to love people selling stuff at junctions and traffic lights. You're stuck in the traffic and without getting off your car you can get almost anything: sim-cards, top-up cards, water, food, clothes, ... The job is wearing (Ghana's heat and humidity are very much also in January, supposedly the coolest and driest month of the year), but the service is so convenient!

Photografies: Unlike India, Ghanaians don't strive to get in your pics. They often complain if you don't ask them in advance if you can take pics at them. To take a pic of the snail-seller my girlfriend gained a slap in her bottom! 

Street holes: Accra's streets are full of uncovered street-holes! You should always pay attention when you walk around the city, especially when you walk in streets without lights. My very last 30 minutes in Accra, when I was about to get into the cab for the airport, I fell with one leg into one of them. Result: me bleeding until Amsterdam and then getting 4 stitches in the ER of my hometown's hospital, in Italy, some 16 hours later. 

I liked the dialogue I had with the ER doctor in Italy: 
me: "Good morning, I have this wound in my leg, Do you think I need stitches?"
doctor: "How did you get hurt?"
me: "I fell into a street hole last night in Ghana"
doctor: "... take a seat."

Beaches: We had the chance to go a couple of beaches during one weekend. Beaches are very nice (some are very touristic but others are quite calm and enjoyable), beware of the equatorial sun, even if it's cloudy is surprisingly tanning/burning!

Schools: As part of our project I visited many schools and I was striken by children. Very calm (compared to western ones) and polite; when they're asked a question they stand up, they answer and they seat again. I am not sure what is due to, hopefully not to the stick, still used in some schools! Overall that was a great experience. I really enjoyed the work I've done and Ghana (too bad I couldn't visit other locations outside Accra), an experience I definetely recommend!

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