New Omnibus

While working on the Moringa Manual (a group write up following the conference in Burkina Faso) in Accra, I got a chance to join some of my fellow volunteers in greeting the new group of omnibus volunteers as they entered Ghana with wide eyes, masses of luggage and incredibly clean clothes.

I only spent limited time with the new volunteers but their arrival made me think more of some of my own concerns when I first arrived.

In a blog entry I wrote before leaving America, I wrote regarding my concerns with Ghana's currency re-denomination, the 2008 election and the discovery of oil off of the Gulf of Guinea.

With a year under my belt, I can now give a better look at these three issues.

As the dollar fell further and further behind other major currencies, it gained a great deal on the Ghana Cedi. When I arrived, one dollar could get you around 94 Ghana Pesewas or .94 Ghana Cedis. 18% inflation has helped that exchange rate change to a point at which one dollar will now fetch one Ghana Cedi and fifteen Pesewas or 1.15 Ghana Cedis. Unfortunately, we Peace Corps Volunteers are still paid 206 Ghana Cedis per month. We were given a "cost of living survey," and an opportunity to get a raise based on the results but unfortunately we fell 3 surveys short of the requisite 75 percent of volunteers.

Items that used to cost 300 cedis (now 3 pesewas) immediately increased to 5 pesewas in order to eliminate the hassle of 1 pesewa coins. This price increase happened all across the board and combined with the food crisis has made food hard to afford. Another difficulty is that banks and ATM machines give 10 Ghana Cedi notes. Most volunteers live in communities in which 10 Ghana Cedis is a small fortune and getting change is next to impossible. For now, the currency exchange has eliminated some very dirty notes from circulation but has also made financial transactions more complicated. It's not uncommon to buy an item that costs 25 pesewas with a one Ghana Cedi note only to find that the merchant can't make change. Can you imagine giving a dollar for an item that cost a quarter and not having change available? It's an odd situation.

As in America, an election is fast approaching in Ghana. The NDC and the NPP are still mixed in a tight contest. About a month ago, violence broke out around Tamale in the Northern Region. It was reported that an NPP kiosk was burned to the ground. In retaliation, over 20 homes in a predominantly NDC village were burned and a few people were killed. It was also reported that individuals were "stock piling weapons," in Tamale and waiting for the end of Ramadan before acting. Ramadan has come and gone with not news about violence but for safety purposes, all volunteers will be consolidated for a few days before and after the election. It's hard to get a true read on what will happen with the election. There's no news ticker to follow and no straw poll to check. News is more transparently biased than it is in the US so we'll just have to wait and see. As far as the American elections go, I sent in my absentee ballot for the US election yesterday. I was worried that it wouldn't arrive in time but I feel as though I've done my part in a VERY important election.

The discovery of oil has proved to be twice as large as was anticipated a year ago. Roughly 1.6 billion barrels of oil sit off the coast of Ghana. While speculation has been intense, it has been decided that drilling won't begin until 2010. I'll be gone but fear that Ghana may go down the same road as other oil rich African countries. Many Ghanaians are excited about the prospect of affordable gas and an influx of cash but I'm not sure how well it would be handled.

In other news, I have a Vision Quester coming to Bormase on Saturday. One of the new Environment volunteers will stay with me for 5 days as a way to see how a volunteer really lives. It should be interesting.

Love to all