Research Update

So ... after that absolutely thrilling first weekend in Takoradi, I was more than ready to get back to work today. However, due to a logistical rookie mistake on my part, I had to get up super early this morning in order to switch to a less expensive hotel. The new one is decent (it's listed as a "budget" accommodation in my Africa guide, so it's somewhat run-down, but gets the job done), and it comes with AC that works when it feels like and a TV with CNN (if it's not cloudy). I think this room is more like the Good Shepherd than the previous one, so, good enough for jazz.

This morning I met with the director, personnel manager and administration manager of the Port of Takoradi, and all were really cool dudes. I chatted with the personnel guy for about an hour about the future of American foreign policy, Barack Obama and registering for the Selective Service. He definitely had his views about Ghana's future. I learned more from him about the Land Tenure Act, which I'd sort of heard about before, but apparently it's quite a big issue for the port.

Under this act, the chiefs of the different tribes own the land in Ghana, and the government and private individuals have to purchase land with their consent. I imagine this was part of a power-balance agreement to settle down ethnic tensions following the Acheampong and Rawlings regimes. So under this stability Ghana's economy has more or less flourished.

Which led me to ask about the future of the port and if there were any infrastructural improvements planned to accommodate for the oil that was just discovered. And this is where the personnel manager launched into about a 15 minute speech about the tensions between Ghana's modernity and its traditions--the chiefs around Takoradi don't want to sell any more prize coastal land to allow the port to expand and the government (for some reason) does not hold the powers of eminent domain. Which means that Takoradi, the closest port to the oil, may not gain at all from the revenues, as private companies may prefer to use Abidjan, which is in the Cote d'Ivoire (hey, the war finally "stopped" so their port is apparently usable now...).

I think this is a bit of an interesting dilemma for Ghana. The Western Region (Takoradi's national district) is already one of the richest in the country due to large gold, cocoa and manganese production, but it has to share with the rest of country, something that can cause tensions. Now if the chiefs won't allow land to be sold to expand the port (which is already losing to Tema, Ghana's other port, closer to Accra), then things might turn a bit crazy.

Did I mention that this is an election year with no incumbent?

I expected, and designed my surveys, thinking that most people in Takoradi would expect to benefit from the oil revenues. But the land issue generates some rather interesting variation. I hope to get the chance to interview workers next week, and will definitely ask about the land tenure issue.

Anyways, I received much assistance from the directors, and got the green light to start surveying 200 people this week. Craziness. I just got back from the printers where I spent an arm and a leg making copies. Oh, logistics.

Hmm, this post was a little more academic than usual. It looks like I've got Friday off, so maybe then I'll go to Cape Coast or Elmina. woot woot