My trip to Ghana

Our intern Markus Buksted Hansen recetly spent a week in Ghana.It was his first trip to Africa. In this special blog post for Global River Center he shares his experiences from the trip.

Day 1 - Friday

Departure Day

When I woke up friday morning I was very excited. I had no idea what to expect nor hope for. The days leadinq up to our departure had been filled with us making sure we had the right permits, so I was a bit nervous about getting past security etc. without problems. But everything went well.

I travelled with the CEO, Elizabeth. We met in CPH Airport at 9am, and we departed at 12am. We had an intermediate landing in Amsterdam where Michael, the chairman of the board, joined us. Apart from the intermediate landing we flew in about 8 hours before we landed in Accra. The local time in Accra said 7pm.

In Accra we were lead into a room where we waited for the Shuttle Bus to pick us up and take us to our hotel. When we came to the hotel we got a glass of juice, and we checked in. We should only stay there in one night for now, but we would come back later. We were tired after the long flight, so after the check-in we went straight to bed.

Me before boarding the flight at CPH Airport.

Just outside the airport in Accra.

All three of us waiting for the shuttle bus to take us to the hotel.

Hafiz driving us to Bompata.

Day 2 - Saturday

Going to Bompata

In the morning we ate breakfast at the hotel. I was a bit surprised of the breakfast because it was a lot like the breakfast in danish hotels. It showed me that it must be a hotel where a lot of people from Europe and America come when they visit Ghana.

After breakfast we packed our things and took off to Bompata. Bompata is a little town 3,5 hours drive from Accra. Hafiz, the head of research in Ghana, drove us there. It was a beautiful drive and the first time I really saw Ghana - both the city and the nature.

When we came to Bompata they were having a funeral. Funerals is a big thing in Ghana and it is actually more like a party. We attended for a while which was fun. In the afternoon we were shown around Bompata by a local. We saw the church, the school, different shops and met a lot of nice people. In the evening we came to our hotel in Bompata which was very different from the hotel in Accra. But it was okay.

We attended a funeral in Bompata.

It was a beautiful drive where I really got to see Ghana for the first time.

We went for an afternoon walk in Bompata

Day 3 - Sunday

Meeting with the Paramount Chief

At the second day in Bompata we had a meeting with the Paramount Chief of the Bompata Traditional Area after lunchtime. Before the meeting we took on a drive with Hafiz to see the surrounding cities. Again it was a beautiful drive where we saw a lot of the nature and a lot of smaller cities.

On the drive we came to a market where women sold all kinds of stuff - mostly food. The women were super nice to us and we bought some things. Elizabeth bought chilis and ginger, and just before heading back to Bompata we bought coconuts because of the delicious coconut water.

When we came back to Bompata we went to the meeting with the Paramount Chief. The Paramount Chief is royal, he owns the land of his area, and his job is to develop his area. When we stepped into his home it was clear to see how important he was. He was very nice to us and it was a good meeting. It was an incredible privilege to get the opportunity to meet someone of his standing. After the meeting we went back to the hotel in Accra and stayed the night there.

From one of the cities we saw at the drive.

A picture with the Paramount Chief in his home.

"It was an incredible privilege to get the opportunity to meet someone of his standing "

We had to taste the delicious coconut water.

We came to a market at the drive.

Christmas decorations at the hotel in Accra.

Day 4 - Monday

Moving Day

Now we were back in Accra, but we had to move to another hotel. While waiting in the lobby to check out, we saw they were putting up christmas decorations. I thought that was a bit fun because of the warmth, but of course they could celebrate christmas. While waiting we also found out the prime minister of Denmark would come to Ghana the next day.

A shuttle bus took us to the new hotel. The new hotel was a lot more quiet and the rooms was more like small huts. But suddenly it started to rain quite heavily. Fortunately it quickly stopped again. We did not do a lot that day because of the moving around, but we had a virtual meeting with the Mastercard Foundation in the afternoon. Before the meeting we had to get creative because the charger for the computer did not charge, so we had to somehow stabilize it with a home build support tower.

Suddenly it started to rain heavily at the new hotel.

Us standing in front of the Danish embassy in Accra.

Day 5 - Tuesday

Our Last Day Together

Before lunch we had a meeting with Blue Skies. Blue Skies is a Ghanian/British company that produce goods from fresh fruit and vegetables, and sell it all over the world the next day. It is very delicious what they do because the fruits and vegetables is a lot more tasteful when it is eaten while it is still super fresh. It was an interesting meeting.

After the meeting with Blue Skies we went back to the hotel and ate lunch. In the afternoon we had a meeting with the supermarket chain SPAR. It was a nice meeting where we learned that only 20% of the trading in Ghana is done in actual stores.

In the evening we ate dinner together for the last time, because Elizabeth and Michael went to Liberia early the next morning.

Meeting with SPAR.

Blue Skies story.

Meeting with Blue Skies.

They are building a lot of big new houses.

Day 6 - Wednesday

Seeing Accra

When I woke up I decided to go see Accra. I had not had a lot time to do that yet because of all the meetings. I found a safe route down to the water. One of the first things that hit me was all the big houses there was being built all over town. It was mostly big houses for wealthy people. Another interesting thing was how how close people with different economic status lived to each other.

After about an hour I reached the water. It was beautiful but the beach was not exactly for a nice day at the beach and some skinny dipping. But it was okay because that was not what I intended. At the beach I found a different safe route back to the hotel. It took me another hour to get back to the hotel.

When I got back to the hotel I was tired after the long trip around the city in the warm weather. But it was a good trip where I got to see a lot of Accra. The rest of the day I just took it slow.

I really got to see a lot of Accra on my walk

Day 7 - Thursday

Going Home

On my last day in Ghana I had a wish to go see Fort Christiansborg (a.k.a. Osu Castle) and Hafiz ended up taking me sightseeing. It was nice and I got to see all the must-see sights when visiting Accra. Firstly we saw the Blak Star Square with the Independence Arch and the Black Star Gate. It was a huge place which is used for parades at the Indepence Day.

Then we went to Fort Christiansborg which was a big wish of mine. I am very interested in History and Fort Christiansborg is a big part of both the Danish and the Ghanian history. Hafiz and I went on a guided tour and we got to see the whole fort. It was very exciting but also very tragic to hear the guide tell what the fort has been used for.

After the guided tour we went on a market where I could buy souvenirs to take home. It was some beautiful stuff they were selling at the market. When I had everything I wanted we drove to the airport. It felt a bit sad to leave...it had been such an eye opening trip, but it was time to go and I was ready to go home to Denmark.