21 January 2025 – A warm welcome and confidence at the Catholic University of Ghana (CUG) in Sunyani

The alarm clock rings at 4:30 am. That’s anything but in our “comfort zone”. But so be it. Yesterday, Rex advised us not to leave any later than 5 o’clock in the morning. That way you can cover the distance from Accra to Sunyani in 8 hours.Today’s destination is the capital of the Bono region, just under 400 km away. So, a quick shower, brush our teeth and off we go.

The driver from the Catholic University of Ghana (GUG), Richard, is already waiting for us at 4:57 am. We already know him from our previous visit and are also surprised that he is much more punctual than we were used to from drivers in the past. He arrives in a minibus with around 25 seats. This gives us the opportunity to stow our luggage safely and also gives some of us the chance to close our eyes again. It is still dark. We leave Accra at sunrise. There are already many trucks on the road.

The journey is adventurous at one point or another. Newly built roads or huge structures that seem to be part of a future transportation hub alternate with dusty tracks and potholes. Halfway to Kumasi, the former capital of Ghana, we have fried yam with hot sauce, a coffee and delicious soft bread for breakfast. As always, the upcoming meetings are planned during the drive, the previous days are recapitulated and the documentation is fine-tuned, if the bumpy roads allow it.

We pass through Kumasi quite quickly shortly before midday. The traffic routing is new. We certainly save half an hour compared to the previous route. The new road no longer takes us past the narrow markets and the hustle and bustle of the city center. However, we can experience this in the suburbs, which seem to have grown together to form a metropolitan region with Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region.

Travelers in Ghana do not have to worry about food. Goods are offered directly at the car window

There are countless market stalls next to the main road. Vendors sell drinks, fried food and fruit directly from bowls on their heads to drivers waiting at red lights to continue their journey. The route then stretches on.

A stop on the main road to get off the bus looks like this: the bus stops at a more or less suitable spot at the side of the road, giving us a bit of privacy, but above all protection from passing vehicles. We reach Sunyani with a portion of freshly grilled plantains and, after a short stopover at the hotel, continue on to the university.

There are many sales booths right on the street. This booth offers freshly grilled plantains: very tasty!
University Chancellor Prof. Daniel Kwabena Obeng-Ofrori and his management team warmly welcome the HITA team after their arrival in Sunyani

The welcome at the Catholic University of Ghana (CUG) is very warm. The university chancellor, Prof. Daniel Kwabena Obeng-Ofrori, and his management team are delighted to see us again. They all thanked us for not losing the courage and confidence to receive the remaining bed containers from the port soon and also to distribute the remaining beds to needy medical facilities in the area.

Our partner university had of course already received the update regarding the intensive talks between the lawyers in Ghana with great joy and optimism. The team is no less enthusiastic that we are starting the planning and preparations for the agreed HITA computer labs with the ICT department. With the confidence that the containers will soon reach the region in Western Ghana, we are planning an interactive workshop tomorrow to define the requirements and determine the project plan and the milestones to be achieved for the IT infrastructure.