Map of Accra
In less than four weeks, I was on the road again. This time, my destination is Accra, Ghana. I was there primarily to attend a two-day conference on Africa Regional Consultation on Migration, Remittances and Development organized by UNDP, the Government of Ghana, and UN office of least developed countries and island countries.
Modern Ghana takes its name from the ancient kingdom of Ghana that flourished, north of the present day state, between the 4th and 11th centuries AD. However, the history of Ghana dates back even further to the great Sudanic empires of West Africa which controlled the trade in gold and salt to and from the trans-Saharan trade routes.According to Wikipedia
Accra has been Ghana’s capital since 1877, and is today one of the most populated and fast growing Metropolis of Africa with a population of about 1,695,136 million people and an annual growth rate of 3.36%. The capital was transferred from Cape Coast 125 years ago. Accra is derived from the Akan “nkran” meaning “an army of ants”. It is apparent that the name “nkran” or “nkranfo” is attributed to the thousands of anthills, which dotted the Accra plains.
Later history brought European traders, and a period when many nations left their mark on what became known as the 'Gold Coast'. Great empires remained in Ghana, and the traditions of the Asante and the Fante continue even to the modern state of Ghana that emerged in 1957.
An excellent historical background on Ghana can viewed here.
The Ghana Center for National Culture is an enormous craft market where you can find all kinds of products made in Ghana from wooden figurines, djembe, kenta cloth, leather bags, trinkets, and many more. I have been there twice and all the time it became a sport for me to haggle with the price. The principle is to try to bid as lows as 1/3 of the offered price and that from there, you negotiate. I once offered a figurine for 30 cedis. I said I will pay 10 cedis. The eyes of the vendor propped up and then I turned to go away. More negotiation and we finally settled for 12 cedis! I bought a handmade leather shoulder bag which was finally offered to me for 5 cedis. Well, just calculating for the materials alone, I did not have the heart anymore to reduce the price.
It was real fun and Blessing, my Ghanian friend who accompanied me to the market was so surprised how I dealt with the peddlers.
We visited Sunday's small bag-making business. Sunday, a soft-spoken man who ventured into leather bag-making with the assistance of Sankofa Foundation, a Ghanian diaspora organisation based in the Netherlands.
Mohmoud of Hirda Foundation jotting notes. According to Sunday, at least 5 people are employed in his small business. His problem is lack of capital. He has to buy the leather from Northern Ghana and can only pay when he sold the bags. For this reason, he cannot really make so many bags that he wants to meet even to meet the local market. The bags which Sankofa is selling are of better quality. He said he cannot sell those bags in the local market. He tried to apply for a loan from a bank but his application was disapproved for lack of collateral. He needs at least Euro 20.000 to be able to have a decent shop and buy the materials.
Sunday does not have a store so his bags are displayed in this nearby store.
We visited ENOWID and talked to the exectuive director, Mrs. Magdalena Abrokwa. She shared with us how small loans have helped poor women in Accra starting small livelihood activities. It started in 1985 when thousands of women started to feel the brunt as a result of the Structural Adjustment Program of the World Bank and IMF. It was difficult times in Ghana she said. ENOWID was formally organised in 1990 and by 1998, it is formally registered as a credit union and loan associations. About 8,000 women have already availed of the services. ENOWID has a loan protfolio of US% 500,000 and with 98 - 100% portfolio at risk. Its dream is to be able to establish a a women's bank.
Awil, me, Mrs. Abrokwa and Anthony of Sankofa Ghana.
Our next field trip is in Manet Housing project. Here you can find the service car of Dutch Construction Ltd. Ghana-Holland reveals that this company has some links with the Netherlands. The company is run by George Duncan's brother who after some years of stay in the Netherlands and Spain decided to go back to Ghana and started his company. "Brain gain"?
This is more interesting. A lot of housing units were bought by Ghanian migrants. Remittances to Ghana amounted to over $4.5 billion in 2005, making it the largest foreign exchange earner.
The value of migrants’ remittances increased from $201.9million in 1990 to 1.55 billion in 2005. Remittances have increased and have become more stable than Official Development Assistance (ODA), and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Further, remittances as a percentage of GDP rose from 3.2 percent in 1990 to 13.3 percent in 2003. Also, as a percentage of export, remittances rose from 22.5 percent to 40 percent within the same period. Private remittances to Ghana are much more than foreign aid or the export value of the cocoa and gold. The impact of remittance to many households in Ghana is now being recognised by policy makers. Accurate stimates of financial flows is now possible due to improved data information and more and more Ghanian diasporas are using the formal remittance channels.
This is the Sankofa Poultry Farm project in Atsusuare about a 1 1/2 hour drive from Accra Center.
It is so amusing to see the layers. Every family poultry farm has 50 layers. The women who also tend a small farm said that the poultry farm really helps them augment family income. It is a productive activity while waiting for the rice harvest. All women said that due to the poultry farm, they can already send their children to school.
A hearty welcome of Sankofa women leaders.
A group picture with the members of Sankofa Poultry Farm
The role of diasporas in the development of their countries origin must be recognised and supported by multi-stakeholders.
A unique picture with the Chief and Queen Mother of the village.
The school desks were donated by ASDA Foundation, a migrant organisation based in the Netherlands.
The many faces of children
The many ways to earn a living
Jamestown (or James Town) is a district in the city of Accra, Ghana. It originated as a community that emerged around the 17th century British James Fort on the Gulf of Guinea coast, and became a part of Accra as the city grew. A lighthouse, the Jamesfort Light, was built by the British at James Fort in 1871. Jamestown is now a fishing port populated primarily by the Ga, an indigenous people of coastal Ghana. It is also a tourist destination for those wishing to see the remnants of Accra's colonial past. The original lighthouse was replaced in the 1930s by the current Accra Light, which is 93 ft tall with a visibility of 16 nautical miles.
"Jamestown is located directly to the east of Korle Lagoon, and borders on Accra's CBD to the West. Over three hundred years ago, the British were headquartered here at Fort James, and the area was a trade center for many years. Now however, James Town is a shanty town. Jamestown is one of the older
areas of Accra and was heavily developed by the end of the 19th century."During the rapid growth of the city during the 20th century, Jamestown has become an area of a dense mixture of commercial and residential use. Since World War II, a
succession of plans to enhance the capital city have come with changes in government — some seeing improvements in Jamestown as a necessary part of the overall plan, and some treating such improvements as competing with the efforts
to develop the central business district of Accra."
This is the haven of fisherfolks where livelihood depends mainly on fishing. Women sell smoked fish in somewhat improvised oven. The place is bubbling with small entrepreneurial activities: women and children selling anything they can sell to the public. Nearby is a maze of market stalls. How I wish I had a chance to walk around but there was simply no time to do this.
