Today was Takoradi, Ghana, which continued with our recent experience of new countries.
In our head we expected a modern, progressive country because we have met a few people over the years from Ghana, which led us to believe this was a more developed country that was able to send out people into the world.
Our expectations were not met.
We drove out and saw ramshackle and poor everywhere we looked. The infrastructure was poor throughout.
We did the tour called Twin City of Sekondi-Takoradi, visiting a pair of neighboring cities with a population of over 1 million.
Basically, we visited the Albert Bosomtwi-Sam Fishing Harbour which is a harbour where fishing boats are tied up in Sekondi in the Western Region of Ghana.
First we went into the ice making facilities within the harbour area, where we saw huge blocks of ice being made. Apparently they produce 15 tons of ice per day. We joked that our life was now complete as we had seen water freeze into ice.
Then we walked through the market. One, David said that he had learned he would never eat fish from Ghana. Second, it was crazy havoc. Super fun to spend a half hour there but it is a chaotic, crazy mess where it seemed everyone was selling the same type of fish. Many of the stalls had several women sitting on folding chairs and it almost seemed as if they were having a coffee clutch rather selling fish. The sounds, smells and sites were fantastically overwhelming.
We then went to a hotel where they gave us a little cultural dance while banging the drums very loudly.
This was one of our least favourite visits.
However, our friends, Colleen & Steve, have been supporting an orphanage in Ghana for sixteen years and they were able to reunite on the ship with eight of the young adults from the home.
We were pleased to spend time with them and get to know them a little bit. They have had a huge leg up with the support from Colleen & Steve but their future is still a challenge. For example, one of the boys graduated with an IT degree but is earning a living by being a personal driver.
Ghana possesses industrial minerals, hydrocarbons and precious metals. Ghana is the 7th largest producer of gold in the world. Ghana is the second largest producer of cocoa globally. Interestingly Ghana is classified as a middle-income country.
The median age is 21 years old. Ghana's unemployment rate hovers around 5% nationally, though labor underutilization and urban joblessness are significantly higher. The crisis is heavily concentrated among the youth, with about 50% of university graduates struggling to secure stable formal employment each year.
Ghana covers an area of 239,567 km2 (92,497 sq mi), spanning diverse ecologies, from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests. With over 35 million inhabitants, Ghana is ranked thirteenth-most populous country in Africa, and the second-most populous country in West Africa. The capital and largest city is Accra.
Beginning in the 15th century, the Portuguese Empire, followed by other European powers, contested the area for trading rights, until the British ultimately established control of the coast by the 19th century. Following more than a century of colonial resistance, the later borders of the country took shape, encompassing four separate British colonial territories: Gold Coast, Ashanti, the Northern Territories, and British Togoland. These were unified as an independent dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations. On 6 March 1957, Ghana became the first colony in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve sovereignty.
English is the official language and there are 11 other government-sponsored languages used in the country.
Ghana is a multi-ethnic country with diverse linguistic and religious groups; while the Akan are the largest ethnic group, they constitute a plurality. Most Ghanaians are Christians(71.3%); almost a fifth are Muslims.
Homosexual acts are prohibited by law in Ghana. According to a 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center, 96% of Ghanaians believe that homosexuality should not be accepted by society.