Ghana / Afrika in Focus
Ghana In Focus aims to bring you the lowdown on Ghana including critique on the hot topics making waves in Ghana as well as buying property in Ghana, renting in Ghana especially in the capital, Accra. Also looking at building a property in Ghana and some of the things to look out for such as building materials and environmental factors. We will also be looking at land acquisition in Ghana, giving insight into issues like site plan, indenture, title and land certificate. Ghana In Focus aims to explore the numerous business and investment opportunities that exist in Ghana as well as talking to the movers and shakers in the country. Finally Ghana in Focus talks with Africans from the diaspora who share their experiences of making Ghana their home. Afrika in Focus aims to bring you key stories that are making news on the continent from an Afrikan centered perspective.
Ghana / Afrika in Focus
Ghana in Focus: Diaspora conversations Part I
NB: Apologies for part of the sound quality and the abrupt ending!!
This podcast continues our series looking at Afrikans from the Diaspora who have returned to Ghana and made Ghana home!!
What does it mean to truly feel at home you may be asking? For Sam and Yaba, the answer led them to make a life-altering decision to move from the UK to Ghana with their children in 2021. Their heartfelt journey is shared candidly as they discuss the deep sense of belonging and cultural connection they've found in Ghana. Reflecting on childhood visits, they reveal how their perception of the country blossomed over time, prompting them to prioritize their children's cultural heritage and seek a richer quality of life.
Transitioning their personal training business from the UK to Ghana posed its own set of challenges and opportunities. Sam and Yaba offer an open account of the necessary preparations and cultural adjustments required for a seamless move. Their story includes navigating financial planning, adapting to local customs, and managing the intricacies of business operations during the global plandemic. They also share the complexities of enrolling their children in schools and establishing new routines, providing invaluable insights for others considering such a bold move.
We are also introduced to the nuanced realities faced by those returning to Ghana from the diaspora. Sam and Yaba open up about the cultural challenges they encountered, from being labelled as outsiders to handling economic intricacies. Their personal anecdotes reveal the vibrant tapestry of Ghanaian culture, from savoring local dishes like Banku with Okra stew to understanding the importance of language and local relationships.
They offer practical advice for businesses contemplating a similar transition, emphasizing the importance of building trust and engaging with local professionals. Whether you're curious about life in Ghana or considering a move yourself, this episode offers a compelling exploration of rediscovering what it means to be home. Please check out their channel!
WATCH OUT FOR PART II!
CHANNEL ------- We are Ghana Bound (youtube.com)
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We offer a consultation session for those who wish to relocate to Ghana , do business in Ghana , buy land, buying a property or even starting business in Ghana. We offer professional support tailored on your needs and wants.
We provide valuable information that can assist you in your relocation like the Ghana card how/where to register your business.
We can also signpost you to other agencies that can help in your relocation as well as business and investment opportunities.
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Good afternoon and welcome to this week's edition of Ghana in Focus with myself Kwame, ghanaian broadcaster, writer, journalist, podcaster and entrepreneur, and in this week's edition of Ghana in Focus, it's Daspora Conversations, and we'll be joined by a great couple here who will be introducing themselves in a minute, talking about their experiences of leaving the diaspora and coming to Ghana.
Speaker 1:So, before we start this week's podcast, just to make you aware that the podcast is being sponsored by Grow For Me Ghana. Grow For Me Ghana is a fantastic initiative that seeks to support and develop Ghanaian farmers, and so if you'd like to be a sponsor of a Ghanaian farmer, I'll leave you the link in the footnotes to the show. Again, if you like what you hear, please share to your friends, family and social media networks, and also you can subscribe to the Ghana Applicating Focus podcast on Spotify and also on YouTube. All right, so let's get straight into the podcast. So I've got my guests waiting and we're going to have a fantastic conversation about their experience in Ghana since they've relocated to Ghana. So, without further ado, I want to introduce Sam Anyaba to Ghana In Focus.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thank you for having us.
Speaker 1:Hi. So before we actually go into a conversation, do you want to describe to my listeners a bit about yourselves?
Speaker 2:That's great. So Sam and I moved to Ghana in 2021 with our children, so the whole family moved, and previously we were running businesses in the fitness sector. We were doing some things in real estate, but mainly fitness in the UK and then we decided to do the big move back to Ghana. So now we are the co-founders of Ghana Bound, which encompasses all things. We have YouTube and then focus on real estate as well.
Speaker 1:Right, okay, and Sam, hey how you doing Hi.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So let's put it in a nutshell we are a family of four, moved over from the UK three years ago and had a passion for real estate, and here we are.
Speaker 1:Great, good stuff, fantastic. So we will talk about your real estate business in the part two, but for this conversation, I just want my listeners to get an idea as to why you made that decision to move to Ghana, and also with your young children, and also some of the challenges and experiences that you have faced in your journey to Ghana. So I take your Ghanaian, yeah, your, your, your Ghanaian. Yeah, no, I have to say, yeah, it's the same but yeah, yeah, I will swear.
Speaker 1:oh so when did you make that decision to move to Ghana, and why or what led you to see Ghana as somewhere where you could live and do business? Because I know you obviously guide in, but your culture isn't anywhere, so why Ghana specifically?
Speaker 3:Ghana is home. Okay, and it's really powerful Be in an environment where you're not only welcome but it's home. You have a network, you have things you can plug into. That we didn't necessarily have in the UK. It was very important, and the grounding of our children in their culture living it was very important to us culture living.
Speaker 1:it is very important to us, so, by that token then, so were you born in Ghana or were you born in the UK?
Speaker 3:I was born in the UK, born in North West London actually.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, okay. And other youth. As a child, did you go to Ghana on holidays? Did your parents take you back to Ghana on holidays?
Speaker 3:Are you probably thinking back to Ghana holidays. Yes, so we were part of the crew that used to try and get on Ghana Airways back in the day and, yeah, so it was always always a very, um, an event. Going back to Ghana was always an event, uh, with a bit of stress trying to get the weight at the airports, but you know, it was always an event. And I can still remember that's probably about six when my first trip to Ghana and the doors of the plane flying open and just being hit by a sea of blackness and heat and it was just I can see it and feel it right now okay and uh, when you were young, what was your first impressions of Ghana, apart from the heat and that kind of thing?
Speaker 1:did you? Did you feel the sense of like being home, you know? Was it the sense of? You know, the welcome that you had from the Ghana hospitality? What was it about Ghana that you thought that you know? One day I'd like to settle in Ghana.
Speaker 2:Well, initially I mean both of us, but I've been going back to Ghana since I was small a baby back and forth, and those trips were more of a visiting family was a bit boring, really. As a kid I was like just following mum around going to an auntie's house, so we always had a sense of belonging. You know, we knew who our family were and that was nice. But for me personally, it was a trip I did when I was slightly older, in 2012, and my late uncle, who was a tour guide, took us all around and talked to us about our family history and took us to some beautiful places and I was like this is Ghana, you know, and that was the time when, finally, there was a crown mall coming up. You know, there were places to go other than just hotels for a Fanta. So that really opened my eyes to Ghana being somewhere I could actually live and thrive and have a better quality of life.
Speaker 3:As a child you're dragged through different aunties that you can't remember. Oh, that's the only aunties. For who you would eat, I can't remember. And for me it was again later on, maybe in my 20s, going to Ghana. I can remember the moment that it clicked for me because I saw a lady, a missionary, I think she was, you know, one of the church workers. She was walking, enjoying herself in Ghana. For me as a child, ghana was always a threat If you don't do well, you're going to get sent to Ghana. So it's quite. It's actually a minor miracle that I'm here, but at that moment I said this lady is enjoying my country.
Speaker 3:What were these fears that was in my head, or portrayed or put on me?
Speaker 1:it was nonsense. I like it, I can make it work. And that was actually before meeting Dabs, sure, of course. So you know, the image that one obviously has of the African continent, you know, is through the Western eyes. So before you went to Ghana, what was, what were your impressions of Ghana specifically and Africa generally, before you actually went first time?
Speaker 3:oh, I wouldn't be able to know because I was so young, right, I wouldn't be able to answer that correctly. I was a child, I don't know really what I was thinking about.
Speaker 2:Ghana, then yeah, one of the things that Sam and I have said previously as well is you know, when you first get off the aeroplane when you're younger, being met by so many black faces in every sector, it's an overwhelming feeling. So we both remember that from childhood Like wow, we just blend in, we don't stick out. And that is, I think, a moment a lot of people have when they're coming from the west. But for us it's such a stark contrast from being the minority to suddenly boom. And then not only is it someone that looks, everyone looks like you, it's your culture yeah right, so that's the earliest memory.
Speaker 2:I would say of going back from a western perspective.
Speaker 1:Right, okay. So next question is then you obviously met, obviously in London, and did you share that same sort of mindset of one day going back to go and settle?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we came over here a few times and one trip might have been yes, we can definitely do this, and the next trip maybe it's like oh, maybe we're just needing to be in another black country but before we met, before we met, you know, ghana was one of the conversations we had regularly, because we had that in common and I don't think it was on the forefront of the mind as in we're going to move to Ghana. For me it wasn't.
Speaker 2:It was generally making work in the UK yeah you know, I was living in London at the time but my family were based in Norfolk so I moved back and I left London, went back to Norfolk and that was going to be life then right it's all when we really um were dating that we keep talking about Ghana. They were like you know what, we might retire there one day. But we talked about the Caribbean island as well, but Ghana was generally, like, always at the forefront for me.
Speaker 3:I used to speak to my senior brother a lot and going back to Ghana was always going to happen, and I was very determined that it wouldn't happen for retirement. I don't want to go back to Ghana with no strength, with no. What am I doing? Going back to Ghana and expecting my family that had not interacted with me for my whole life to now come and look after me, now come and pull my legs into bed or whatever it is? So I have always wanted to come to ghana at a younger age right, okay, so let's sort of get the ball running, man.
Speaker 1:So you, you're now a couple you've met, you're now a couple, you're now together. When did you actually decide to make that move physically to come to ghana? So you know what? I'm happy with the uk. I'm now going to come to Ghana and make a life for myself.
Speaker 2:I remember the room we were in and everything, like I remember the moment, but go for it.
Speaker 3:That's nice to be asked. But yeah, I remember the moment. I remember I can remember before Covid we were speaking about it, but Covid was the catalyst that pushed us like let's go now. But we was already winding up coming over sorting out bits and pieces over here. Right even I'm interested to hear what you've got to say it was, he's saying, pre-covid.
Speaker 2:It was two weeks before anyone knew what covid was, in england, right, we weren't on lockdown, nothing. And we'd reached the point where, you know, we'd had our first child. Maybe our second was a small baby, I can't remember that far but we had our son. I know that because he was our. He was, you know, going to be starting school and, having been schooled in Germany, england, we knew what that journey was going to look like in terms of some of the discrimination he would face, the racism, the conversations we would have to have with him about his own relationship with the police, you know, and we knew we'd have to have these conversations. It was inevitable. So we have to look at ourselves and be like do we want to put our children through that that we've been through? Put our children through that that we've been through? It's not like maybe we'll have to. It's like no.
Speaker 2:So initially we discussed moving the kids from a, you know, a more dive, from a less diverse area in Norfolk into a much more mixed, affluent, mix of the affluent, mixed right, so people who are aspiring, mixed environment, yeah, yeah, where they wouldn't stand out.
Speaker 2:So we went through different cities in the UK in our minds. We were like in the end it was like, look, it's gonna really be London. And then we were like it cannot be London, like that's not gonna tick the box on top of that, losing the culture, the language we're really passionate about that because we weren't spoken to in our local dialects so we only know English and we are not going to be the generation where that dies, so our kids have to. So we were talking about how the kids would get that as well, so maybe we'll send them to Ghana. You know how traditionally you send your kids to Ghana and you leave them there for like a few months or a couple of years. And we considered that for about three seconds and then we both couldn't like spare the thought of sending our kids and not being with them, and in that moment it was like then we're gonna have to be with them and do it as a family so, as a little background, we were not in london, we were in a tiny village.
Speaker 3:I mean a tiny, tiny village. We were in a tiny village, I mean a tiny, tiny village in.
Speaker 2:Cambridge, okay, wow.
Speaker 3:So we were the black family, one of two, in fact. I had a cab driver tell me oh don't worry, I know where you need to go. He knew because there was only 50-50 chance of him getting it right. You know there was only two black people, two black families in the village very nice village, didn't face anything completely horrible but it started giving me definitely flashbacks of being the only black child in the school. Uh, for my secondary school that was definitely the case and, um, I wasn't prepared for him to go through that.
Speaker 2:It wasn't needed so just for the listeners um say cambridge is in kind of real england, this isn't it we're talking real little england, the village church, the post office, everything the real deal the church that went off every hour like ding dong, like traditional, the ones you read in the book, kind of of so on that then.
Speaker 1:So basically your whole idea of going to Ghana because from what you were saying it's like your children was was sort of the at the forefront of you making a decision to go to Ghana. But professionally, professionally, I assume that you were doing well professionally within the UK. So was that also another reason for wanting to come to Ghana? Because, professionally you may thought that you, you, there's a glass ceiling, because we know the UK there's a glass ceiling for African people. Was that also another reason why you thought you come to Ghana as well as your children's development?
Speaker 2:did you say professionally, so we couldn't quite capture that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm just saying that was your professional um. In terms of your professional um career. Was that another reason why you left? You left uk because obviously there's a gaping for african people in the uk. Was that another reason why you also no business was doing?
Speaker 3:fantastic if you say, if you're asking about the business, that was one of the reasons that we were going because the business was doing well and we could leave it ticking along and get the pounds while we're in ghana and we had the whole, you know, the whole plan set out, and because it was doing so well, that enabled us to say, okay, how can we maximize on this income and how can we get the family further forward? Is that going to be in england or is that going to be of ghana and the criteria that we had to meet was the language, the culture for the children are we going to?
Speaker 3:is that going to be easier or better? In the uk, can we get our our get onto the property ladder? What's's the access like here? What's the access like in Ghana? So there was a lot of reasons, and those are a couple of them, that made us say you know what we're going for this.
Speaker 1:Okay, so just for listeners' sake, what business did you have in the UK, or were you having in the UK?
Speaker 3:So we had a personal training business. We used to supply personal trainers for golf clubs and so on and so forth.
Speaker 1:Okay in business for golf clubs and so on and so forth. Okay, okay, that's interesting, okay. So now you've made it into, come to ghana and tell us about the the sort of preparation and gym, because in my podcast I advise the listeners that if you want to come to ghana you need to do a lot of preparation before you come to ghana. So just tell us briefly what the preparation was like before actually coming to Ghana. What things did you do, what didn't you do, what things you know, to give us a flavour of what you did before coming to Ghana.
Speaker 3:So, firstly, we came here for a good few trips, because being here on holiday is completely different to being here and living here. So we had to be here and try and feel out being in Ghana. I know one trip we came and had a look at some of the nurseries in the area that we knew it was going to be in and was laying some groundwork. I had to come and fix the building up, get it to a standard that we were happy to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sometimes, like it was, I think, once at that, that point, once we came to Ghana together with our small son and then we he came back once, I think a couple of times because we were preparing, he was preparing the accommodation and all the other, all the other things I'm sure you'll lay out for people that were involved before we even step back in again as a family.
Speaker 3:If there's one thing I would have said that I wish I would have laid earlier, and that would have been the online business. Passive income streams, multiple, set out with all the infrastructure that you have in the UK. Get that sorted away before and let that business be steady before you even come.
Speaker 2:Yeah so once we make the decision, him and I, um, both had ghana passports. Okay, I think we've already done ours. And then we were very proud. So we we renewed our ghana passports beforehand and because we had ours, we then went to the process of doing the children's ghanaports. So we didn't want to go on a visa, we wanted to go fully equipped. That was another part of the process.
Speaker 1:So you obviously went during the COVID, the height of COVID, which was 2021. I believe that was lockdown, wasn't it? During that period?
Speaker 2:Yes, it was. We were in lockdown, like the fourth lockdown they had by then. Okay.
Speaker 1:So you're now in ghana. You've arrived in ghana now, so what? What was your initial plan there? Did you have a plan? Did you say you know we're going to do this, so within six months, we want to get accommodation, we're going to get children to school, we want to do this one, do that. What was your plan now being in ghana?
Speaker 3:so initially it was following the effects of the weekend and that would have been in fitness industry. We had a business running and that was providing we had a team in the UK that could keep that running, and then it was to build the house and get into the fitness industry over here in Ghana.
Speaker 2:At this point just stepping back into the UK for a second. This was obviously during a lockdown as well. Now I'm just feeling really bad. Um, so either realistically because people do have to be prepared for this, especially when moving as a couple or as a family sam did stay in the uk when we initially moved and he had to still continue working and tying up loose ends. This was hugely unpleasant for all of us involved. That wasn't what we wanted to happen, but the realities of it were that we had to still cut off some of the loose ends and make some more money in the UK, which meant that we weren't able to all go at the same time, and that was part of the plan. Not everyone is prepared for that, so sometimes one of you, or maybe both of you need to jump back, jump in, jump back, jump in, and that is okay. Some people feel like it's a failure. It's not at all. It's just a necessary part of the process, depending on your situation.
Speaker 2:So we're now in Ghana. Sam joins us. You know the first few months were about um, preparing the kids, you know, the shop for them, so getting a routine, a basic routine for the family. Sam had already pre-done a lot of stuff for accommodation, so we had things set in place and then the priority was to get the kids into school and then find out. You know what kind of income, like she said, we could make from the fitness side of things so, in terms of a combination, then you do have your own accommodation.
Speaker 1:Were you building before you actually made that trip to Ghana? You know, you know what was your. I mean, how was your accommodation thing right, or was it an Airbnb or what was the thing there?
Speaker 3:So we were really lucky. My mother had bought a few blocks Okay and there was a block that was doing nothing with a house on Okay, you know a space-saving house on so I'd been over earlier and started the building for the extension of that house. So we were very blessed that we had a place to stay and no massive rent or, you know, getting that whole year's rent.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So we were very blessed.
Speaker 1:So is that in Accra, where you are? Yes, which part of Accra, if you don't mind me asking.
Speaker 2:We don't usually disclose that. Okay, I see I see.
Speaker 1:So you've got your commission fine in terms of, then you know, your children making that transition. How were you able to navigate that in terms of your children now, you know, sitting in ghana with a different culture, how were you able to navigate that? And again, because obviously listeners are listening out there, maybe some of you have children, so how was that? Was it easy? Was it hard to get the children to sort of acclimatize to a different environment? And what school were you able to get for them?
Speaker 3:okay. So before we even got to gun, our children learned the abc. You in the book called A is for our crowd. So it was just. Everything was forward looking If you're doing well at school, we will take you to Ghana. I had to flip what I was told as a child, so it was a reward. It's going to be an amazing adventure when we go over to Ghana. There's going to be brown people like you at school. You're not going to all these things. I mean, even on the first day that I was back that he came back, he told me you didn't lie, daddy, they're all brown like me. It's amazing, I love it. So there was a lot of positive um reinforcement before we got to ghana and um, unfortunately I wasn't on the trip like you ever said. I had to stay back.
Speaker 2:but when you could tell yeah, the initial um, I guess what's the word. The culture clash is very apparent. You know the climate change. We moved in january, which was nice because we left the freezing cold to come into the nice climate. The kids were hot but they were free so they were able to run around. That was lovely. Now we could not have done it without family of course family, sam's family, my family were just around us, you know.
Speaker 2:So they really helped the kids to learn how to do things. They taught me where to go, where to get food. Food was the biggest challenge because our kids weren't used to the bufu and the dokong and you know they weren't used to it. But slowly, slowly they were getting used to it, because children adapt. We moved our kids when they were two and four, which meant that it became normal very quickly.
Speaker 1:And since that transition then how have they settled into guardian life now?
Speaker 3:Oh, they're living their best life.
Speaker 2:Accents have changed. They're learning the language.
Speaker 2:They've acclimatized where air conditioning makes them feel really cold, like they're shivering in air conditioning, so they've acclimatized the climate. They are very confident, you know, because I don't want to say confident like oh, they're just like. You know they are. They're very content and comfortable in their environment and who they are, because every day, everything about them is reinforced by the people around them. Everyone looks like them everywhere we go and as they learn the language, their confidence is increasing that little bit more. So it's done them so good, it's done us good, um, in terms of health mental health, yeah and quality of life so what advice is in regards to children?
Speaker 1:so if there's people that are listening to this podcast and I've got children and I think I've come to ghana with those children, what advice would you give those people in terms of you know, uh, in terms of the child development, in terms of some of the benefits of coming to Ghana, living in a different environment, what advice would you give to those parents out there who may want to make that transition with their children?
Speaker 3:Search your school very well. Well, um, your school is going to determine where you actually live, because you could have getting a lot of people go to the best schools and, um, they travel for hours in the morning. The children have got to go like two hours to get to school because it's the best school, and two hours back and they're tired, um. So we'd advise that the school that you want should determine where the area that you want to live in. If that's not possible, then get the best school in your area, because that whole thing there the roads can be dangerous here. I mean, it's not just a simple trip back and forth. There's so much going on that I think you need to really look into that you have.
Speaker 3:There's a lot of possibilities over here. So the traditional schooling system here is very colonial and it's very jesus based, christian based. So if that's not for you, then you're going to have to look at alternatives. You can get any type of school here. You're just going to have to pay for it. So if you want to go into the international schools, the real international schools, um, you're going to have to do your research, because it's not as simple as just rocking up and getting into ariane or getting into gis you know some of these schools, you have to literally register at birth.
Speaker 2:Wow, wow wow, yeah, we arranged, we pre-arranged a meeting with the headmistress of one of the international schools while we were in England and we had a discussion with them. What's the requirements? What do they need from us? And they did say you know, you should have registered your child pretty much when you were pregnant or the child had just been born. So these are some of the things to bear in mind for the international schools, but you know there are so many schools here.
Speaker 2:They tick every box, but that doesn't mean that there's too much choice sometimes. And also, you don't always know the quality of care your child's going to get until they are in it. You know we don't have the. What's it called? No, what's it called?
Speaker 1:Yeah, we don't have that system here.
Speaker 2:So really you speak to the parents of the school and say how is it really? You know, try and find out from the parents who are already going there.
Speaker 3:There is a big homeschooling network out here which supports each other. The parents support each other, so that's a huge thing that you can plug into. Um, but yeah, you've got to put a lot of effort in and make sure you're getting the right thing for your child, sure?
Speaker 1:yeah, so we're now we're sort of into the last of um 10 minutes of the interview. I definitely want to do a part two of you that will essentially focus on your business, that you do in terms of the real estate and obviously you know about the brand guide abound. But I just want to sort of ask you what have been some of the challenging experiences that you've encountered so far in your journey back to Ghana, living in Ghana for the last three years. Challenges challenges.
Speaker 2:So, before we list the challenges, just to let you guys know, with each challenge we've literally grown more muscles, right? So it's not something that you'll continue to face. So one of the things is that, that sense of because we are diasporan, we are returning, we've been outside, okay, which means that you, as an outsider, feel sometimes like an outsider and this is in terms of, you know, getting charged more people make assumptions, and this is something you will face everywhere, day in, day out.
Speaker 2:Now, wealthy Ghanaians do face this as well. It's not just us, but growing up in a culture where we already stood out, we were looking forward to coming back where we could just blend in. But that is a little bit of a false hope because naturally, ghana is a developing country. There's a lot of need here. So when you come from, you look shiny. When you first come from outside, we see that shine. It doesn't matter whether you wear head wrap or you wear your you know, most casual clothes. You have that shine and it's going to attract people that will want to take advantage of that. So with that, we've grown muscles. There's a solution for it.
Speaker 2:First, you change your mindset. You know you do have a set, a level of privilege that people here don't Remember that, whether you think I'm so hard done by, you have a level of privilege that you can jump back into the UK and jump back out, etc. That in itself that's why they do it. There is a reason. Secondly, learn the language as much as you can so you can negotiate. Bring that, you know you can still negotiate the price down. Be tough when you do it and ultimately you have a laugh about it with the person, and then you move on. Let it go.
Speaker 3:You move on challenges most of my challenges have been environmental. So if you've been watching the the show, you know we've had floods when it gets to rainy season and those. Those things are challenging some of the little. There's small things like the way we do Ubers over here. You know you don't just order the Uber and it comes and you're done. You order the Uber, then phone the guy and tell him if he will take you, if he wants to go your way, and then you know he can just cancel anyway after saying yes, don't worry, I've got you, you know. So it's little. So you don't worry, I've got you, you know so it's little so.
Speaker 3:So you don't use trotter, then you don't use trotter oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, and that you'll get a little challenging. They'll try and add a few cities and we're talking about tiny sums, but some, some days we don't care and some days it's the justice of it. You know why did you put 50 pairs of squares?
Speaker 2:on my price. So Transport as a whole, I think, can be a challenge. Here we use, we use all methods really we walk some places, which people here find unusual that people walk. You know we use trotters regularly, but in some cases professionally. We can't be on a trotter for two hours and revive at a conference or a video. You know like raggedy and sweaty and tired, so transport as a whole can't be a challenge yet and has.
Speaker 1:Has anyone coached both of you or Brony?
Speaker 2:oh, of course, oh really more in the beginning. I feel like you see, we go to a lot of places, like you would as well. You go to the same shop, you go to the same doctors, you go to the same environments. So in the beginning people would be like, oh, bruny. But to be honest with you, I don't get that at all, I don't, I don't get it right. I don't get it now and now I don't, now that you've asked that. No one's asked me that in a long time.
Speaker 1:It's a good question but in the beginning you were called a brunia.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and for the listeners it's not even like to your face if someone's having a conversation it's not. It's not, it's not something that that we want maybe we're using our shaman.
Speaker 1:So for those listeners who don't know what a Bruny means, it really basically means white or foreigner. So some of our brothers and sisters that come from diaspora get called that sometimes, which is quite unfortunate, but that's for another time. But so finally then, cause I know we want to talk about the Destiny Ghana Band and your, your project, what you're doing with that in the next um combination. But in wrapping up, then you know, so you've had a positive journey so far, which has been great and your children settled in great. Before I go on to the sort of um advice, and you know what has been your favorite ghanaian dish ah, this one's easy, easy.
Speaker 2:So I love Banh Cu and Okra stew.
Speaker 3:Okay Me, I love Kinke and fish and shiton. I'm okay. Okay, that's it.
Speaker 1:I don't need anything else? Well, but I heard that the price has like doubled since you guys came.
Speaker 3:The price of everything is probably more than double. Really, really more, more than double. It's really more.
Speaker 2:Wow, everything has gone up. You know the economy's on a cartwheel, like it's been crazy. And living in an economy where you go in one day you'll pay 10 cities, the next day 18 cities, it's like how and you know you can imagine. But we're building a house, so the materials, you know it's been a real interesting one?
Speaker 1:Yeah, because on that, when I left Ghana in 2014, cement was 17 Ghana cities. Now I pay something like 100 cities. What's that for? For cement?
Speaker 2:Cement.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's gonna be around 100 cities oh my god, yeah, unbelievable.
Speaker 3:I remember one Christmas I think must be last Christmas because we we were deep in the real estate and there was the whole East Legon Hills thing was kicking off and over Christmas the prices changed. So the numbers stayed the same but the prices changed from cities to dollars and that's got to be more than double for houses. So it used to be like 40,000 cities for a plot in East Legondon and the other side of christmas it was like 40 000. Have I got made a mistake? Here is this, and it was real. It just like flipped over christmas well, okay, that's interesting.
Speaker 1:That's some of the challenges that you face. So, in closing, then, what advice would you give to uh businesses in the UK, or even US or Canada who are thinking of coming to Ghana and making that journey, particularly if they've got children?
Speaker 3:find excellent people that are really good at their job and that's enough for them and they will give you a great service. It's here. Not everybody is trying to rip you off. I mean, when we get here, a lot of us are hyper sensitive about being ripped off. And look, it's strange. You get people that have got a relationship with their uber driver and they'll ask the Uber driver if the real estate guy is okay. So you've just got to have all the common sense that you use when you're in London, birmingham, newcastle. Keep the common sense there, but rein it in. Not everybody uses travels Positive news doesn't. So everybody knows the bad things that can happen. But if you do it the right way, you're mitigating yourself against that yeah.
Speaker 2:So depending on who you are, if you are Ghanaian and, like us, you've been coming back and forth, it's very likely you have got an understanding of the culture. If you do not, in fact, even with us we've had to relearn and learn and learn and learn and learn, learn the culture. Don't access Ghana with the mentality of Ghana should be like the UK the systems. It's just frustration. It'll only cause frustration. Ghana is not the UK. Ghana doesn't have to be like the UK. Ghana's got a completely different culture history. You see, things don't run here like they do. So with that level of humility, learn as much about the culture. Speak to Ghanaians who are living there about how things work before you go. Visit as much as you financially can that's not easy either but visit with the mindset of moving before you actually move. Do not visit in December and do you know dirty December, because December is like magic, it's like unicorn land. December is like heaven. December all you see is parties and events. You don't see the reality.