Every downtown in any decent city of a civilized country is a tourist destination. Local and international visitors flock there for shopping, trading, dining, and entertainment experiences. Unfortunately, the downtowns of Ghana’s cities offer the exact opposite, stench, chaos, crime, extreme filth, congestion, and anything no one wants to associate with.
Accra Central is the worst in Ghana. I am constantly ashamed whenever I receive foreign guests who want to go there or want me to take them there.
Downtowns are important economic, business, and tourist zones. In some cities, they operate 24 hours and that is an hour Ghana can reposition the downtowns of some of its cities like Accra, Kumasi, and Takoradi.
Unfortunately, this cannot be done in their current state of mess. For over decades now, I have seen how Accra’s downtown continues to deteriorate time after time. In the 90s, there were popular restaurants such as Soul Food where one could go and eat dinner. Clean and nice areas.
The Nkrumah Circle area had decent eateries and entertainment places, but all are now gone. What happened to our sense of planning, enlightenment, and business orientation? Heading backwards?
I often drive in the night through these downtown areas just to see what goes on and how the city looks at night. I do this at night because there is zero traffic. Sadly, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly has its office located in the midst of the filth. Ironically. Don’t they see? Or do they not care, or are they overwhelmed?
The mess is the reason why institutions such as Absa, Standard Chartered Bank, Enterprise Insurance and the all mighty Bank of Ghana have abandoned the Accra Central area for sane and cleaner locations. They may not admit it, but it is true. It is embarrassing to receive business guests in such chaotic environs.
These areas can enormously aid John Mahama’s 24 Hour Economy. I would respectfully propose to him to consider a Downtown Improvement Strategy urgently to propel the night economy in our cities and enhance tourism experiences. Ghana’s cities deserve downtowns that reflect our ambition, culture, and business potential. The time to act is now.
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