News
Customer service in Ghana, the sight from my rearview mirror not good …but there’s hope
In the last three years, Ghana has warmly welcomed all people from the Diaspora under the year of return and beyond the return program. A great initiative encouraging them to come back to their roots. Lots of economic and social activities are carefully designed to welcome the presence of over 1.5 million tourists from across the world, with different ethnic and cultural values being absorbed into the Ghanaian way of life.
From restaurants, hotels, pubs, clubs, tourist sites, etc, one can tell our family from the Diaspora has engaged the services of locals one way or the other. Customer service is defined as the assistance and services provided by a company to those who buy or use its products or services. Can we now say the Ghanaian community has met their expectations in terms of customer service?
Known globally for its political stability, Ghana has been named for being one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa. It is regrettable to know we didn’t deliver in terms of customer service.
Most repatriates do not have great comments on our customer service, something even we locals complain about daily. With the reams of people ready to use their services, business owners feel it is the loss of a customer if they walk out on them in search of better service. In some instances, even complaints to managers or owners prove futile.
Some business owners engaged potential customers to patronise them only to return after minutes, saying the required service is unavailable. Shocked? How about online sellers who boldly display items seeking for budding customers only ask that they call, DM or WhatsApp for prices? Prices are then dished out by social media display pictures.
Waiters and waitresses make customers feel bad by asking for quality service. They beg customers not to complain about the services for fear of losing their jobs some crying in the process. An emotional customer would let go, assimilating the poor service being rendered. You get managers saying orders can’t be changed rule from above. And the worst is still paying the delivery fee for the ones you can return.
So I ask, shouldn’t customer service certificates be made mandatory before one can render service and to the waiter, waitress, delivering, etc. a requirement before hiring? How do we convince the trotro mate, market seller, and cobbler to also have such a certificate? Should we dwell on reviews and refunds as a stunt to gain better customer service? Boycotting institutions due to poor service made a thing?
Perhaps we should go easy on them instead of demanding to be treated better.
A school of thought once said you become a million in Africa by living the street truth, being on time, and good customer service. I guess most businesses haven’t understood this concept yet.
Can we say we are not there yet as a country?
I’m a customer and would take my commerce elsewhere when not treated right.
By Daisy Mina Antwi
The Government of the Republic of Korea has presented a second consignment of equipment to support the study, maintenance and preservation of Ghana’s historic forts and castles under the Korea-Ghana ICT Climate Project.
At the handover ceremony in Accra, today, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, expressed appreciation for Korea’s continued support, including its US$4.5 million intervention towards heritage preservation, technical assistance and capacity building.
The equipment will strengthen the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board’s efforts to address the impact of climate change on Ghana’s historic heritage infrastructure.
The Ministry noted that they remain committed to working with international partners to safeguard Ghana’s priceless heritage for present and future generations.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Association of Spouses of Heads of Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations (ASOHOM) brought art, diplomacy and philanthropy together for its glamorous black-tie charity gala, centred on the urgent theme of sustainable water futures.
At the heart of the evening was ‘Woven Currents’, a thought-provoking commissioned exhibition co-curated by Fang W. Linulf of LogonART and Fadila Njoya from Gallery Sankofa, showcasing five outstanding Ghanaian artists confronting water pollution, coastal decay, ancestral memory and ecological regeneration.
Housed within a versatile multi-function hall, far from a conventional white-cube gallery, the venue underwent a dramatic creative transformation.
Drawing on her professional architectural background, curator Fang W. Linulf reimagined the standard event space into a vivid, immersive exhibition environment through bold spatial storytelling.
Monumental art installations encircled gala guests, breaking traditional viewing boundaries and forging a remarkably intimate, visceral connection between viewers and the artworks.
Guided by a powerful curatorial vision, ‘Woven Currents’ positioned art as a call to action: to honour, safeguard and collectively steward Africa’s precious shared water heritage.
Each artwork responded directly to Ghana’s pressing aquatic realities.
Emmanuel Aggrey Tieku’s towering textile installation breathed new life into discarded local second-hand ‘Oburoni Wawu’ garments, delivering a searing commentary on waste colonialism and textile-fuelled ocean contamination.
Patrick Tagoe Turkson crafted intricate assemblages from beach-salvaged flip flops and abandoned ghost fishing nets, weaving Asafo flag and Kente cloth iconography into marine debris to unite indigenous cultural wisdom with modern-day ecological crisis.
Sena Burgundy presented introspective blue-hued figurative canvases exploring inner reflection set against shifting environmental realities.
Nana Frimpong Oduro exhibited dream-like surreal photography rooted in Akan cosmology, capturing ancestral echoes and human resilience within Ghana’s coastal waters.
Evans Torngmortey Akornor built evocative threshold-themed mixed media works from fishing shore remnants, unpacking visible and unseen layers of shoreline history.
Attendees also experienced the poignant live dance performance ‘Cry of the River’ by Vivie’s Dance.
The night featured a high-energy live auction of five signature exhibition artworks alongside a raffle draw. Every penny raised went toward vital humanitarian support for vulnerable communities across Ghana.
Diplomatic delegates, collectors, artists and cultural leaders filled the room.
The curatorial team stressed that ‘Woven Currents’ was never mere gala decoration.
It delivered grounded, locally-centred artistic narratives that enriched formal policy conversations on water conservation, repurposing a diplomatic social gathering into a dynamic public platform for ecological dialogue and meaningful giving.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
