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Ghana: Accra

The mausoleum of President Kwame Nkrumah, Accra
President Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, is buried in this grand mausoleum in Accra

Because the Prempehs' car was having some mechanical problems, my plans to explore Accra were rather severely curtailed. Mr Prempeh suggested that I explore the capital in the company of one of his drivers, but with the car unavailable things kept getting delayed.

Independence Arch, Accra
Independence Arch

Nice Plot

The beach at Accra
The beach behind Independence Square was my first glimpse of the ocean since Senegal

By Wednesday the car was behaving better but was still not perfect, so instead of exploring Accra we spent the afternoon driving to a plot of land which Kwesi, my brother's friend, has bought. It's in a suburb called East Legon, not far from the University of Ghana, and Mr Prempeh proudly showed me the vista from the plot.

The beach at Accra
Locals enjoying a dip in the heady waters off the beach in Accra

Accra, Finally

Independence Square, Accra
Independence Square

On the way back from Eddie's plot Mr Prempeh took me round the grounds of the University of Accra and his old school Achimota School, the best school in the country, and at last I got a taste of something historic. Here were colonial-era buildings, extended and expanded over the years to accommodate more and more students, and the administration blocks and old school houses were beautiful. It only made me want to visit Accra even more, and finally, on Thursday, I got my chance.

The mausoleum of President Kwame Nkrumah, Accra
Nkrumah's mausoleum is surrounded by fountains and statues
Parliament House, Accra
Parliament House
James Town, Accra
The rather more gritty end of Accra can be found in James Town