With regards to Africa, Ghana has been a “pioneer” in so many ways- from being the first African country to gain independence from colonial powers, to being the first African country south of the Sahara to host the “first” African-American president of the United States of America.

Needless to say that Barack Obama visit to Ghana sparked an unprecedented frenzy in the country.  The air tight security which characterized Friday night and Saturday in the capital- Accra and (arguably) Ghana’s most famous city- Capecoast was a sight to behold, as commercial activity in both cities literally came to a halt as a result of severe road blocks.

The excitement was however not limited to the ground alone. According to the Google Africa Blog, searches for “Obama” increased by 150% in Ghana over the week preceeding the historic visit. By the “D-day”, the figures were up by 350%

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The Tour

In a post by Estelle Akofio-Sowah, country manager for Ghana, on friday July 12- Google announced that they had teamed up with the Ghana Ministry of Toursim to create a “special site” for President Obama’s visit. The Obama visits Ghana website shows “places that President Obama and the First Lady will visit during their trip to Ghana”.

Using Google’s geo products, the site includes a pictorial tour in Google Earth of key landmarks along the historical slave route in Ghana, such as Gwollu in North West Ghana, where people created a refuge from the infamous slave raids. The tour also visits Salaga Market, a major slave market where wells and cemeteries have now been turned into shrines, and the Slave River at Assin Manso, where the slaves had their last bath prior to leaving Africa’s shores. The tour ends at Cape Coast Castle in the Central Region, now a UNESCO World Heritage monument, with the final Doorway of No Return.

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The maps also showed details of Obama’s schedule in the country;
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The Message

The climax of President Obama’s visit (at least to me) was his address to the Parliament of Ghana. The import of the president’s message, amongst other things, being the fact that “Africa’s future is up to Africans“. It would be completely ludicrous to think otherwise.

Growth and democracy is one thing, but until that growth is directly linked to the development of the communities whose welfare the “democratic” process is meant to serve, it remains an excercise in futility.

These steps are about more than growth numbers on a balance sheet. They’re about whether a young person with an education can get a job that supports a family; a farmer can transfer their goods to market; an entrepreneur with a good idea can start a business. It’s about the dignity of work; it’s about the opportunity that must exist for Africans in the 21st century.

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