Accra is the regional capital of the
Greater Accra Region as well as the national capital of the Republic of Ghana. As
the seat of government, it has a population of over 2.269 million people with a
land
size
of 71.43 square miles [185 km2]. Accra has been Ghana’s capital since
1877, and is today one of the most populous and fastest growing metropolis in
Africa. It has an annual growth rate of 3.36 per cent and was transferred from Cape
Coast 125 years ago. Accra is derived from the Akan word “nkran”
meaning “an army of ants”. It is apparent that the name “nkran” or
“nkranfo” is attributed to the thousands of anthills, which dotted the Accra
plains. Ghana’s first President, Dr.
Kwame Nkrumah,
declared it a city – the first city of Ghana, in 1961. Its outlets and
inlets cover sea, air and land including rail and motorways.
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| Treet bar and restaurant at Obofu |
Over the years, Accra has grown into a cosmopolitan city-a
hub for all manners of persons and organizations. This change has inadvertently
affected the socio-economic life styles of its inhabitants and visitors alike.
It currently has over 199
restaurants that are listed as the best and an unassuming
number of canteens, cafeterias; chop bars [local eateries], cooking spots for construction
workers and all manner of unimaginable food parlours or houses.
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| Newly opened Rooster Food Pub in Achimota |
About ten years ago, one would seldom see people
eating at restaurants, pizza joints and at places known as “low cost eateries.”
But today, the story is different, the way people access food has changed dramatically
as people have adopted new taste for new delicacies and have spared themselves the
stress one goes through to prepare a meal at home. One can now access any kind
of delicacy at any time and place right here in Accra.
The elites [politicians, senior managers, business
owners, expatriates] in the capital as expected access their food from
cafeterias, canteens, restaurants, and perhaps order from a Chinese restaurant
or a pizza house. Also the normal working class [professionals but earn low
salaries] buy from vendors who happen to sell in front of their offices. But as
far as construction workers and labourers are concerned, they buy based on
quantity and not quality.
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| New ways of selling food in Accra |
This blog will in the months ahead take you to the Accra’s hottest fast food
joints [food parlours], look at why people patronise them, its socio-economical
impacts and also ascertain whether they are regulated by any authority then move
to the local eateries [chop bars] and look at the people who patronise the
food, the vendors and the cooks as well as the environment and their cooking
mechanisms [whether they use firewood, LP gas or charcoal] and then move on to
look at the new ways of accessing food, a look at the mobile delivery of food
at the various offices and the newly introduced point of sale (POS) terminals-KOKO KING etc and packed fruits and
their health implications.
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| Some students buying from a local eatery |
The blog will then dive into the patrons [pupils,
students, professionals, labourers, construction workers etc] of these food
joints, the reasons why they choose them and how much they pay for them [food],
this blog will also look at the promotional, advertising and branding strategies
some of these eateries use to attract their customers and the reaction of the
latter to them and the influx of foreign delicacies [pizza, shawarma, burger etc]
and the impact they have on Ghana’s delicacies and patrons, we will also look at the infrastructure and
location of these food joints/stands and study the strategic impact of these locations
and why vendors choose such areas or spots and the contribution of food
joints/stands to the Ghana’s economy and the benefit they accrue to patrons.
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| How food is prepared at a local food joint at Osu |
You can visit this link for the some interviews: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-EeEqvssV2fVlVoX1dfZUxZNTA/edit?usp=sharing and
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-EeEqvssV2fazNuUUFsakZtY2s/edit?usp=sharing for the video
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-EeEqvssV2fazNuUUFsakZtY2s/edit?usp=sharing for the video
