Tro-tro-trotting around Accra

It is my third real day in Accra and slowly I am beginning to see a bit more of the city, although I am yet to catch my first glimpse of the ocean. Work has been keeping me so busy I even end up skipping lunch, racing from one part of the city to the other. All this racing is done by taxi which is the most convenient way to get around. Taxis are pretty much omnipresent. Most of these are rather dingy looking things that look like they have been taped together but they are surprisingly efficient. The even cheaper alternative to using taxis would be to use the local system of tro-tros. These are basically mini-vans that have been converted to transport a horrendous amount of people. The roads are filled with these vans that are –sometimes literally– bursting at the seams stuffed with around 20 people plus all of their luggage. Combine that with the suicidal Ghanaian style of driving and it is no wonder that traffic is one of the major causes of the poor life expectation Ghanaians have.

Most of my trips across town start at my temporarily assigned office. That is right: I have an office! It even has its own door and a phone, which is more than I can say on a normal workday. What makes me feel even more special though is the location of my office. Let me give you a hint: they serve stroopwafels with DE ‘roodmerk’… yes indeed, my office is situated right here. Funnily enough that has nothing to do with my own nationality. The reason is that for particular matters in Ghana the UK is represented through the Dutch Embassy and, without boring you with the details, my work here basically is a consultancy job on behalf of a UK government department.

Classy as it may seem, of course the purpose of my trip is not to sit in the office all day. For that I would not have needed to take a flight all the way to Accra. I am here to meet with people and to listen what they have to say. I do have a schedule of appointments but already that schedule is proving to be a bit of a pain in the neck. Many appointments have not been confirmed or were confirmed at times other than those in my schedule. I find myself chasing people up and down trying to see who I can meet when. Given that I do not know how far any of these places are from each other, getting the logistics right is a challenge. And then even when I manage to be in the right place at the right time, that does not necessarily mean my conversation partner is as well. I hope to be able to talk with at least a fair share of the people on my schedule, particularly as some of them work for organisations I hold in high esteem, but we will have to see how everything works out.

My hotel unfortunately is a bit too far from the centre to just wander off in the evenings. The best view I have had so far of inner-city Accra came when my taxi driver could not find the hotel and plunged us into rush-hour chaos. This weekend I definitely intend to get my time on the beach but for now it’s all work and no play.