Anyone arriving in my country, Ghana for the first time, will know right away that Ghanaians are expecting an august visitor in the month of July.
The beautification that’s currently taking place in the capital Accra and the ancient capital Cape-Coast tell it all. In Accra, trees along what we call ceremonial roads have been given a new lease of life. They have either been painted or white washed with emulsion paint, or have been draped with paraphernalia of U.S President Barack Obama and that of the Ghanaian President, John Evans Atta-Mills.
The drains and other gutters that usually harbor stagnant water and mosquitoes are being worked on tirelessly to ensure that they are clear and free flowing. This is all because Ghana at this time of the year is experiencing its rainy season so one can imagine the amount of work being done by Zoom Lion personnel.
Zoom Lion is a private waste management company tasked with ensuring that the city of Accra is clean all the time. You remember your first date and how badly you wanted to look your best and put up your best behavior in a bid not to lose him or her? Well that is exactly what I am talking about. This is the state of my country Ghana today.
My country is preparing to receive the first black president of the United States of America Barack Obama on Friday. Accra is seeing a facelift temporarily with daily cleanup exercises, patching up of pot holes on our roads in anticipation of Barack Obama.
But how Ghanaians wish for more high-profile visitors so that those responsible in Ghana will continue to do that for which they are paid.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
BACK TO POINT ONE.
I noticed something during the recent visit of U.S President Barack Obama.
My observation was simple- that in the run up to his visit, almost every part of the city particularly the ones that I use frequently saw some facelift.
The streets were constantly cleaned for two weeks in preparation to receive the August visitor in the month of July. Some streets were painted or whitewashed with emulsion, whilst some trees and lawns were trimmed and mowed all in readiness for the occasion.
Barack Obama arrived on Friday night and I guess he drove along these areas that saw the facelift or the constant clean-up exercise. If the President will tell us the truth the streets that he drove one were "mwuah".
You know why? Simple- the streets were swept every minute of the day just in waiting for the most powerful man on earth today.
And as i drive along these streets to work everyday , i keep asking "Should we always wait for high profile personalities to visit before we can get to work and acknowledge that we need a clean, clear environment". Certainly No, but yet that is what exactly happens in my part of the world.
It is a shame that after Barack Obama’s visit the Zoom lion “soldiers”, sorry oh, Zoom lion is a waste management company in Ghana. Workers of this company were extremely busy working at their to welcome President Obama. They were seen all around the city centre in their Blue and Orange uniforms day and night.
However, with only about three weeks after that visit, we are back to square one.
The number of ZOOM LION workers has reduced, the vim with which they tackled the visit has gone down, and we are back to point one.
Already, Accra is battling with sanitation problems and for some of us it was a welcome relief to have witnessed such a level of commitment to maintain a clean environment. But alas, the joy has been shortlived.
My observation was simple- that in the run up to his visit, almost every part of the city particularly the ones that I use frequently saw some facelift.
The streets were constantly cleaned for two weeks in preparation to receive the August visitor in the month of July. Some streets were painted or whitewashed with emulsion, whilst some trees and lawns were trimmed and mowed all in readiness for the occasion.
Barack Obama arrived on Friday night and I guess he drove along these areas that saw the facelift or the constant clean-up exercise. If the President will tell us the truth the streets that he drove one were "mwuah".
You know why? Simple- the streets were swept every minute of the day just in waiting for the most powerful man on earth today.
And as i drive along these streets to work everyday , i keep asking "Should we always wait for high profile personalities to visit before we can get to work and acknowledge that we need a clean, clear environment". Certainly No, but yet that is what exactly happens in my part of the world.
It is a shame that after Barack Obama’s visit the Zoom lion “soldiers”, sorry oh, Zoom lion is a waste management company in Ghana. Workers of this company were extremely busy working at their to welcome President Obama. They were seen all around the city centre in their Blue and Orange uniforms day and night.
However, with only about three weeks after that visit, we are back to square one.
The number of ZOOM LION workers has reduced, the vim with which they tackled the visit has gone down, and we are back to point one.
Already, Accra is battling with sanitation problems and for some of us it was a welcome relief to have witnessed such a level of commitment to maintain a clean environment. But alas, the joy has been shortlived.
Oh how I wish for more OBAMA visits, so that i can always compare my city with that of Singapore.
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