"The Generator's Pooped"

Woke up yesterday morning (Monday) soaked in sweat and realized that the air conditioning was off so the electricity must have died in the night. "The generator is pooped" are the first words I heard this morning from Danielle who had been up since the crack of dawn. Turns out that the mains electricity had actually died early Saturday morning, the generator that serves as backup for our compound of 15 houses had kicked in and 48 hours later there was still no sign of mains power. So the generator was 'pooped' after running continuously for two days.

Maybe its not surprising it was 'pooped' as it turns out it was not bought new but re-conditioned, even though it does serve a group of new houses. I am told that it is difficult to buy capital equipment here in Ghana that is new; including cars. The country is full of 'pooped' equipment that has been bought for next to nothing, second or third-hand from overseas, re-conditioned and then sold for a not inconsiderable sum. This may explain why every third car or bus on the road is belching out black smoke.


Where have all the dollars gone?

But the electricity being down for over two days - how to explain that? The area of the blackout may not have been large but blackouts in every area are an almost daily occurrence. Don't get me wrong, I am not whingeing - I just want to understand why this seems acceptable here but not in Europe or the USA.

Then we come to the subject of water. I wanted to whinge when our water pressure at home was unreliable due to an almost 'pooped' pump but decided I had no right to do so when I learned from Kwabena that he only gets water for three hours every week. Collins and everyone else I asked get water no more than twice per week.

If it is like this in Ghana, the model nation of West Africa, what must it be like in other less fortunate African countries? More importantly, why is it like this?

The reason, normally trundled out by politicians here, is lack of money and investment. Can't really argue with that one but according to my new friend and colleague Kwabena who had some sage words that made enormous sense, there is something else that money can't buy. As an employer he encounters the problem daily; low self-esteem or more particularly, low African esteem. In his continuous battle to enforce good quality work in his workshop he comes across attitudes which go something like: "...what we are making here is African. When we sell it to people in the rich world they know it is African and don't expect good quality, so why should we be expected to achieve it?"

Apparently there are people in Ghana who make leather sandals for export and stamp them 'Made in Italy' - that probably says it all.