Another lodge whose future is in the wind

May 18, 2012 4:30 pm

Hey, remember what I was saying about hostel OTAs in West Africa on Tnooz? Just noticed Desertrose in Dixcove is closed until further notice. You can reach an availability search for it on Hostels.com, Bedandbreakfastworld.com and Hostelworld.com via Google, but it looks like there’s none in the system – so you can’t book it and wouldn’t find it if you started from their homepages, as they only return properties with available rooms.

As per my reference to ‘the expat factor’, it was set up by Swedish travellers and is now for sale. It’s on the same stretch as British-run Green Turtle, also on the market.

Desertrose Lodge for sale

The other missing middle

May 18, 2012 2:48 pm

Another strong opinion piece on Africa’s image in the global media, this one by Ugandan journalist Charles Okwir for Think Africa Press.

I particularly like these points:

No PR firm on the planet could have delivered the positive coverage that the Arab Spring delivered for Tunisian and Egyptian pro-reform activists.

And

Al Jazeera has effectively deployed the expertise of African journalists who, by virtue of their local upbringing, experiences and cultural values, have a deeper insight into Africa’s intricate issues than foreign “experts” can.

The latter was also touched on in Laura Seay’s excellent bit for Foreign Policy, which I’m indebted to Matthew Teller for firing to me on Twitter a few weeks back. More →

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Friday front pages: May 18 2012

May 18, 2012 11:42 am

Two government-owned titles and a privately-owned NDC supporter this week.

Ghanaian Times

Government-owned. Top story: questions about oil revenue from the Saltpond Field.

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More →

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On the map: Le Bouquet

May 17, 2012 12:57 pm

It’s a common complaint among foodie expats that too few of the city’s Lebanese-owned businesses are restaurants. They usually follow that with a ‘but’, and the ‘but’ is usually Le Bouquet.

The move from its old site between Ako Adjei and Danquah Circle must have broken a few hearts in the compounds of Labone and Cantonments, but the new spot, right by the raucous, technicolour Jokers on Labadi Road, is still an easy run, and one that the food easily justifies. More →

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Mobile number portability in Ghana and Nigeria

May 17, 2012 10:16 am

I’ve just written a bit of analysis for Tnooz on the idea that West Africa, despite being seen as the preserve of backpack-toting traveller travellers, is actually a tougher environment for lodge and hostel-focused OTAs than for the big boys selling swisher properties. It touches briefly on the mobile communications market: More →

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Local talent, foreign clones

May 11, 2012 1:50 pm

When I interviewed Hotels.com.ng founder Mark Essien for Tnooz, he had this to say about why bigger travel (and non-travel) tech brands were absent from West African markets:

Big brands are not ready … They are not ready to have people on the ground walking door to door looking for hotels. They are not ready to deal with power fluctuations. … By the time the West African environments are established enough for the big brands to come in, I think the space will be completely dominated by local businesses.

With the exception of Google, that holds true. But a story about Germany’s Rocket Internet bringing an Amazon clone to Nigeria, apparently confirmed by Techloy this afternoon, reminds us that the relative vacuum in emerging markets won’t necessarily be filled by homegrown players.  More →

Friday front pages: May 11 2012

May 11, 2012 9:48 am

I landed on a poorly-stocked news stand today, so it’s only the Daily Graphic (state-owned, pro-govt). The CPP of the top story was originally Kwame Nkrumah’s independence party, banned in ’66 following the coup that overthrew him.

Resurrected three decades later, it still has a broadly socialist agenda – see for example recent statements on rent laws and affordable housing for workers. Compared to the NDC and NPP, it’s a negligible electoral force, taking well under 5% of the vote in 2008.

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Grab a book of Willis Bell’s classic Ghana photographs

May 9, 2012 1:04 pm

Willis Bell Collection - volume one
Desirable photo book alert. Mmofra Foundation – who Twitter followers have been hearing a bit about, as I’m currently doing some volunteer web editing for the organisation – has released volume one of the Willis Bell Collection, a catalogue of images it has restored and digitised from the 90,000-strong archive. More →

Friday front pages: May 4 2012

May 4, 2012 7:22 pm

I’m going to start doing this every Friday, providing I can get hold of papers, an internet connection, &c &c. Can’t guarantee an equal spread each week, so I’ll add a word about the affiliation of each title.

Daily Graphic (state-owned, pro-government – so currently pro-NDC)

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Daily Post (pro-NDC)

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Before the rain, after the rain

May 2, 2012 2:58 pm

Here’s Efua Sutherland Children’s Park looking bare and dusty during our trip to the circus on April 1, more or less the end of the dry season:

Darix Togni Circus, Accra
And here’s the same part of the park looking very green on May 1, after the rainy season got going mid-month. Apologies for the drop in image quality – this second one was an opportunistic capture on a battered old Nokia.

Efua Sutherland park, Accra
At this early stage in the season it’s coming down in infrequent, high-volume bursts. That rejuvenated grass is the product of maybe four or five downpours over a two-week period.

There’s a shadier patch at the north end of the park where grass copes slightly better with the dry season. The tree cover’s visible on Google Maps. The roundabouts and climbing frames are back there, and it’s good to report they were getting some use on the May Day bank holiday.

Wish I could say the same for our friend the Joy Train, just visible in the background.

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