Cellphones

Cellphone use has skyrocketed in Ghana over the last decade. Of a population of 24.7million (2011 estimate), there are merely 267,000 (2009) land lines and over 15.109 million (2009) cellphone users that grows each day. I find it very interesting how Ghana, and indeed many African countries, have basically skipped the landline phase and have transitioned smoothly to using cellphones. Even at my office, landline phones are non-existent. I knew based on my pre-departure research that cellphones are considerably cheaper than in Canada (let’s face it - anywhere is cheaper than Canada). The phones themselves start at 20 cedi ($15), and for that you get a simple phone with a flashlight and FM radio. For that little, that’s pretty great value. Phones can range up to 1100 cedi for the brand new BlackBerry Torch, if you are feeling flush with cash. I don’t often see people walking around with BlackBerrys except on campus where I see people with them all the time. iPhones and Android phones are also becoming more popular for those who can afford them. Some people have multiple cellphones. This seems rather excessive however once you experience the unreliability of cellphone networks in Ghana, it makes sense to have multiple phones with different networks in case one network goes down.

There are a few key differences between the Ghanian system and the Canadian one.

Firstly, there are many different service providers in Ghana from MTN, TiGO, AirTel, Vodafone, and the new GLO which has yet to start providing service. Unlike in Canada where you are very limited in your options (Bell, Rogers and Telus being the main three), all of the companies here are independent and switching between networks is no more difficult than either porting your number to the new network or simply buying a new SIM card. Secondly, in Ghana a SIM card will set you back 1 cedi or approx 60 cents CAD. In Canada these tiny little chips can cost upwards of $20. Some people have phones with slots for two SIM cards for different networks which is great because you never know when a particular network is going to be down. Once you have paid for your SIM card, you can start adding credit to your phone by buying the scratch cards being sold pretty much everywhere. Enter the unique number code and you are ready to start using your phone. Unlike in Canada where you pay that silly $7 monthly network fee and that emergency number fee, here whatever money you spend on credit is yours to use. 

Data, something I could never afford at home, is completely affordable here. I use Vodafone and I pay for what I use. Most networks require BlackBerry users to pay for a data subscription that is valid for a month. It is really really handy to be able to get online whenever I need to wherever I am. I find my BlackBerry internet the most reliable internet access I have.

Cellphone usage has many headaches in Ghana. It is beyond frustrating when you are trying to make a call and it drops every 30 seconds or simply doesn’t connect. It is equally frustrating when my SMS messages seem to evaporate into thin air, never reaching the recipient. It is puzzling that I get excellent service in my building but if I go to the buildings on either side of mine, I can’t get reception if my life depended on it. There are also days where BBM or the internet just doesn’t work despite my best efforts.

Welcome to Ghana!

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Tema-Accra Flooding

This was one of my school submissions but I thought it was a really interesting topic so I reposted it here

The rains should have stopped in Accra in September, however we are still experiencing heavy rains at the end of October. The flooding that resulted from the heavy rain from Monday to Thursday of this week has claimed the lives of 9 people in the Tema-Accra area in addition to the destruction of homes and many businesses. 

During a trip to the Volta Region this weekend, we endured incredibly violent rains as we climbed to the top of Mount Afadjato. The rain made descending the mountain very dangerous and we could tell that the village was going to experience some flooding as the sewers couldn’t cope with the water. The remainder of the trip was sadly called off due to the weather. The long drive back to Accra was slowed because the water had flooded or washed away the road in many places. Some of the small villages we passed were flooded after only a few hours of rain. It was obvious they would have major clean-ups to do once the rain had stopped.
Accra and the surrounding areas have been pummeled with heavy rain and thunderstorms this week. One severe storm on Monday was literally on top of my building, I’ve never been woken up by such a loud storm in my life. Despite being located on top of a hill, campus has been flooded with water and the sewers, clogged with empty sachets and black plastic bags, couldn’t drain the water resulting in a wonderful smell coming from overflowing gutters. If the existing sewers were clear of debris, the flooding would not have been so severe. According to the Daily Graphic newspaper, this is a reminder that efforts to improve infrastructure and planning in Accra are greatly needed in addition to educating the public of the need for insurance to help people recover from such a disaster.

There are three issues at play here. First, the changing of the seasons. People at work have repeatedly commented that we shouldn’t be experiencing rain at all in October and that this is a prime example of the effects of climate change (I couldn’t agree more). People here seem to be able to identify changes in the rainy season as being a direct, observable result of climate change. The link between the unbelievable car emissions and climate change doesn’t seem to resonate as much. I still find it puzzling how nobody finds it as appalling as I do! I like that people are able to identify what they are experiencing as a result of climate change however they don’t propose any actions to limit it. Secondly, there is a huge lack of infrastructure in Accra. The open gutters and sewers are incapable of coping with such a large amount of water. Smell aside, overflowing gutters present a huge health problem for people including a higher risk of malaria (from standing water where mosquitos breed), to the unsanitary conditions of having waste and garbage floating around. The biggest issue is flooding, as experienced this week. The newspaper indicated that many businesses had to close in areas where the flooding was severe. The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) did respond and helped people pump water from their homes however many in areas like Santa Maria spent the night on their roofs in the rain to avoid the flooding. Thirdly, the victims of the flooding are hard-pressed to find a doctor as the doctors strike has yet to be concluded here. Doctors have now been told to stop providing emergency care to force the government to meet their demands.

After seeing the pictorial and news articles in the Daily Graphic, I am reminded that although the rain inconvenienced me this week, it could have been much much worse. Hundreds of people lost their businesses, personal property, even vehicles that were swept up in the flooding. My office remained open during the flooding as Legon is not a low-lying area and other than getting quite wet on my trip to and from work, things were normal. I know people in the office were very upset by this newspaper yesterday when it was published, now I know why. Some suggestions proposed by government officials in the newspaper are to change people’s behaviour when it comes to waste disposal. All of the discarded plastic waste clogs up sewers and hinders an already overextended system from operating optimally. The other aspect, which relates to city planning which seems to be completely lacking in most parts of the city, is to prevent people from building on water courses.