Almost halfway into my current mission in Accra, and I am starting to make some small progress. Strange, how the development world like that word “mission”. It conjures up images of bible-toting bearded people, or alternatively something military. My own mission is not so dangerous or fundamental, it is rather to help prepare the ground for yet another mission in a few weeks' time – this time a “corporate mission” involving a number of business people who are all planning to be involved somehow with the business end of better recycling of e-scrap in Ghana.
Everybody I meet, is excited about the concept, whether I speak to foreign diplomats or local consultants and businessmen. We only need to push the process along in a notoriously slow part of the world… easier said than done, especially considering the fact that a few different companies, probably each with their own corporate strategies, all need to find a way together, somehow. We dealy need a “champion” who is prepared to spend time here, and to push, pull, threaten and cajole the start of some small business entities.
Today I met an old friend, erstwhile General Manager of the Golden Tulip Hotel here in Accra, for many many years, during the days when my family and I were living here. Now, since about two weeks ago, he is General Manager at Alisa Hotels, where he just happened to walk past my table when I was having lunch. I was quite surprised, especially since we had last met in Luxembourg a few years ao, when he was managing a hotel there. It's a small world…
After lunch I returned from a few meetings to my temporary office while here in Ghana. Here is a view of the main entrance, also the main entrance to my hotel bedroom:
And the corporate office facilities (a bit spartan, but with an extremely small view of the ocean, which I can hear in the background) are pictured below.
