Driving in Ghana

Ghana traffic is always interesting. There are 4 million people who live in Accra, and it feels like most of them are on the roads! The roads are paved and there are stop lights at major intersections. What the roads appear to be lacking are lines, in particular. The result is that sometimes traffic moves in rather atypical fashion. The police and military drive wherever the hell they want, mostly right down the middle of the road. Not sure if they are actually on a call, or if it’s just a quicker way to get through the traffic.

The majority of the cars on the road are Toyotas. Every once in a while we will see a Mercedes or a Dodge truck, but they are few and far between. Our vehicle is a white and comfortable Toyota Landcruiser. According to local laws, Dave and I are able to legally drive using our Nevada driver’s license for the first 12 months we are in the country. After that time, we can apply for a Ghananian license.

There are tons of taxis on the road and they look like miniature NYC taxis. Tro-tros (trow-trows) are mini busses. They are all beat up and have seating for 15 people; although it looks much like a circus when they unload. People just keep coming out, as they are crammed into the busses like sardines! They are the cheapest form of public transportation. Sometimes you can find areas marked as bus stops. Otherwise, you look for a crowd of people standing by the side of road looking like they might be waiting for a tro-tro. A person can also flag one down at the roadside by raising their right hand pointing in the direction they want to go. The driver’s mate will shout out the window the route that the tro-tro is taking.

We have yet to even attempt the Ghanaian roadways without our driver. Newmont provides some ex-pats with a driver. Others choose drivers from the “driver pool.” Dave and I have been assigned a driver named Michael. Michael is 31 years old. He and his wife, Mabel, have a 10 month old daughter named Dorothy Nana-Akua (don’t know what their last name is). Michael told me that he and his wife call her by her middle name. “Nana” is the word for king and is given to someone or something that is very precious and loved. Akua (uh-quee-uh) is the name of the day on which she was born (Wednesday). Whenever Michael talks about his daughter, he beams. It’s obvious that she is very special to him.

Michael lives on the other side of Accra. He use to drive for another family, and when they found out it took him two hours to get from his house to theirs each morning on the tro-tro, they bought him a motorcycle. Now he can make the trip in about 45 minutes as motorcycles pretty much dart in and out of traffic. So, Michael drives his motorcycle to our house and parks it on the side of our place for the day. He takes Dave to the office each morning. I tag along if I want to go to the gym to work out first thing. Newmont’s office is probably 3-4 miles, and it takes about 20 minutes. The gym is right close to the office. Fortunately, we are going against the traffic in the morning. By the time I am done working out, the traffic has let up and the trip back is another 20-25 minutes.

Michael has been a wealth of knowledge, and during the week I feel like I spend more time with him than I do with my husband! He is available at any time. Dave and I have to share him, and really….Dave gets first dibs! He stays as late as he needs to. If we go to dinner, he sits in the car and waits for us to come out. It’s somewhat uncomfortable knowing that someone is sitting outside waiting for you, while you enjoy a nice dinner in the restaurant (see my “The Help….Ghana Style” blog). If he’s working during his lunch or dinner, we give him 10 cedis (approximately $6 US dollars) for a meal. I’ve been told that Michael will even take us out of town, like up the coast for a long weekend. Evidently, we just provide him with a per diem; about 50 cedis a day. I asked someone where he would sleep, and they said that he will find a place and not to worry about him. O….k…..that’s weird, but again just part of the Ghanaian culture.

When we are stopped at a major intersection, a couple of things happen. Particularly in the mid-morning hours, there are beggars. They appear to be the same ones every single day. Michael told us that they recognize our car, as Rick (Dave’s predecessor) always gave them money. Inevitably, if we end up stopping, they are at our window. They are not pushy or aggressive. They just stand next to the car and put out their hand, with a big ‘ole smile on their face! Secondly, when traffic stops, the street vendors move through the cars selling their wares. They sell water (only locals can drink it), nuts, yams, fruit, cell phone cars, flags, newspapers, magazines, CDs, DVDs….you name it, they are selling it.

I do miss the independence of jumping into my car and going wherever and whenever I want. Everything in Ghana takes a lot of time, patience, and some forethought. Hopefully I won’t forget how to drive in between our trips back home!