West African Days

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March 18, 2005

Wahala

Americans tend to get irritated when gas prices go up. Imagine if they doubled overnight.

That's what happened in Ghana just three weeks before I arrived. The government announced they were abolishing the subsidies that kept gas prices at about 15,000 cedi (the local currency), or $1.50, per gallon. Gas now costs around 30,000 cedi ($3) for a gallon, and the effects of the price hike are being felt in every corner of the country.

The protests began last week. Dubbed "Wahala" by the organizers (that's Hausa for "suffering" or "hardship"), the first demonstration resulted in a few arrests, lots of press coverage, and passionate debate among Ghanaians.

The second "Wahala" protest was yesterday morning, in the midst of an impressive police presence. It wasn't a huge demonstration, but hundreds marched, danced and sang, and even former Ghanaian president Jerry John Rawlings was there. The protesters say the steep gas prices aren't the result of abolished subsidies, but rather the consequence of outrageous new government taxes. The high gas prices, they say, will cripple the country.

What effect "Wahala" will have on gas price policy is unclear, but what's impressive is the amount of media coverage and public debate the demonstrations have caused.

Meanwhile, on my own little practical level, as a foreigner, figuring out taxi prices in African cities is usually a challenge. The taxis often don't have meters and taxi drivers perceive foreigners as walking ATM machines. Figuring out fares here in Accra in the wake of the gas price hike is confounding. Two weeks into my trip and I'm just getting a handle on what constitutes a fair price for any given taxi ride.

Posted by Cathryn Poff at March 18, 2005 10:22 AM

Comments

Posted by: Meg at March 18, 2005 2:16 PM