How Much?

On Friday I went to buy a ‘meat pie’ for my lunch. ‘Meat pie’ must represent one of the very few British influences on Ghanaian cuisine. It is recognisable in shape as a flat hemispherical Cornish Pasty, but the content makes even the variety available at British filling stations look pretty good. The ones I go for (hopefully) contain minced corned beef and a little onion but the major ingredient, by far, is dry shortcrust pastry. The girl with the glass cabinet displaying meat pies at the entrance to Linda Dor Annex Restaurant, smiled at me. “One Ghana Cedi?”, she said slightly cautiously. She knew it was my first purchase since a whopping 66 % increase in price. I gestured reluctantly but handed over the red one Ghana cedi note. She put the pie in a thick paper bag and that bag in a black polythene bag. That will be the subject of another whole blog entry.
One thing you cannot avoid in Ghana is price increases. Everything costs noticeably more than when I arrived in September. I, like other volunteers, will also be victim of the obruni factor whereby traders will decide that the whites can afford to pay a bit more than the locals. Gradually you get to know the proper rates and loyalty to certain market stall holders reduces the chances of being ripped off. I bought a tin of corned beef (much of my life revolves around the stuff) and a small tin of tomato puree at the weekend. The assistant added the two items on her calculator and gave a figure three or four thousand old cedis higher than expected. I gave my interpretation of the sound Ghanaians make when they are surprised by something. The assistant queried my exclamation. I indicated that, in my experience, corned beef of this quality could be procured for a lower price at neighbouring establishments. I handed over a five Ghana cedi note. She asked for the correct money (loose change is a highly valued commodity). I pointed out she had a draw full of coins clearly visible. She said that if I give her the right money she would do me a special price. I handed over the change and ended up with the corned beef nearer, but not quite at, the price I had hoped for.
Everybody is feeling the pinch. Fuel prices rise, leading to tro tro fares increases on nationally agreed percentages. All transportation costs on food are passed on. The restaurants regularly increase prices and your heart sinks when the waitress produces a newly printed menu. You know it will mean the same range of dishes at new ‘moderate’ prices as one place in town describes them. Chocolate has increased by 20 %, the fare to Accra by 25 %, the meat pie rate is high, but it is the first time, in fairness, it has increased since I arrived. One of the reasons that increases cannot be small is the lack of 1 pesewa coins in the system. The lowest denomination of the new currency in regular circulation is the 5 pesewa piece, worth 2½ pence. In the old currency the lowest was one quarter of one penny.

The problem is accentuated by the fact that prices are so high relatively in the first place. Food makes up the largest part of my weekly spend. Based on one Ghana Cedi equalling 50p or one US dollar, 50p will buy four large onions, or one very good avocado or maybe eight average tomatoes. It isn’t enough for a 100g bar of local chocolate but should get you a couple of Cokes. This doesn’t seem too bad until you realise what people actually earn. My allowance from VSO puts me on a par with a tro tro driver. Many of my local colleagues at work will get more than this, but the majority of Ghanaians will get far less, especially as I get free accommodation thrown in. I worked out what the cost of a can of expensive corned beef (what else?) would be to me in the UK, if it made up the same proportion of my pay as it does in Ghana. I discovered it would have cost 48 pounds! It’s not a particularly accurate comparison but it makes the point.

Things could be a lot worse. The huge world wide increases in food prices are filtering through, but not to the degree that neighbouring countries are being affected. This week trade unions in Burkina Faso staged a two day general strike over cost of living increases and Ghana’s inflation rate (officially 13.79 % in March) is miniscule by current Zimbabwean standards.

I’m considering giving up meat pies at this new price though, at least until I get bored of the alternatives.