There is an American style mall in Accra. It is large, air-conditioned, has a movie theater, and Apple store, a food court, a grocery store, a number of small clothing stores, and a book store. It is the place to go and be seen on Saturdays if you are a teenager in Accra.
In fact, everyone tries to look nice when they go to the mall. If you enjoy people watching you will see the mixture of traditional and new styles. Men with woven cloth, attached on such a way that one shoulder is bare, walk past groups of teenage boys with Fro-Hawks, skinny jeans, and chunky silver chain necklaces. Young girls look awkward in their secondhand mini skirts, while older women look elegant in the floor length skirts in bright patterns with matching tops and head scarves.
The stores tend to be empty; people mostly wander the mall hallway. Except for the grocery store bags, it is rare to see people caring bags of purchases. I don’t envy the store owners in the mall; I can’t imagine they make a profit.
After 10 years as a techie in the United States, Rebecca Hunt joined the
Peace Corps in Togo, West Africa. She taught computer skills and
business skills in a medium sized city. After 2 years in Togo, she
moved to Accra, Ghana to work in a internet and mobile telephone
startup.
