Work trips come and go – but Ghana leaves a mark.
Recently, our head of project management, Sarah-Jane Viljoen, and I travelled to Accra, Ghana, with our client, the Better Than Cash Alliance (BTCA) – a United Nations-based partnership that helps countries transition from cash to digital payments across Africa and beyond. For both of us, it was our first time in Ghana and, within hours of landing, we were swept up in the pulse of its capital city, Accra – the energy, the traffic, the heat and the endless friendliness.
Our visit took us far beyond meeting rooms. We travelled out to cocoa farms to see what financial inclusion looks like in real life. Ghana is one of the world’s biggest cocoa producers – in fact, three-quarters of the world’s cocoa is grown in West Africa, yet only about 1% of chocolate is made on the continent. Gasp.
We watched farmers harvest cocoa pods, learned how they ferment and dry the beans and saw how digital payments are helping them move away from cash. Now, many farmers are being paid straight to their phones, saving time and reducing risk.
We visited a local chocolate factory, watched the transformation from bean to bar – and even tried making our own chocolate (with varying levels of success and much laughter).
Back in Accra, we moseyed through the bustling crowds at Makola Market, where you can find everything from toothbrushes to traditional fabrics and fried fish. It’s a masterclass in Ghana’s hustling spirit – and a gentle reminder that personal space is a luxury when everyone’s on the move.
Of course, no trip is complete without a few doozies. At one point, Sarah-Jane and I found ourselves tussling with an ATM, trying to withdraw Ghanaian cedis while our South African banks heroically decided to block the transaction for our “own protection”. A quick call, a few confused laughs and we were back in business. Who knew? Even seasoned communicators can be humbled by cross-border payments.
After navigating ATMs and foreign currencies, we thought we’d mastered Ghana. That was until a stubborn croissant crumb landed on my lipstick during a high-level meeting at the office of the African Continental Free Trade Area. A passerby noticed and tried – very politely at first – to signal to me to remove it. After a few failed attempts to direct me to the right spot on my lip, he became frustrated and wiped it off himself!
Needless to say, I was mortified. Sarah-Jane, naturally, saw it as the perfect opportunity to tease me endlessly. High-level meetings, it turns out, can include unexpected lessons – about diplomacy, digital payments and, apparently, how not to eat like a five-year-old. Swallow me, earth.
Across Ghana, we saw how digital payments are quietly transforming lives. Farmers are moving towards digital payments, traders are expanding their reach and drivers are collecting fares without handling cash.
As Marcos Neto of the United Nations Development Programme put it, “While the financial inclusion community has successfully banked a billion people in the last decade, there remain 750-million women worldwide who are financially excluded. In Africa and the Middle East, the gender gap in financial inclusion is three times the global average.”
It’s a reminder that progress is real – but incomplete. For every life transformed, there are still millions waiting for access. That’s why the work of the Better Than Cash Alliance matters, and why we at Flow Communications are proud to support it.
Reflecting on the trip, Sarah-Jane says, “It was a great privilege to not only experience Ghana with its wonderful, warm people and amazing atmosphere, but also to get to know our new clients at the Better Than Cash Alliance and learn more about their work in empowering hard-working communities through enabling digital payments.”
And from the client side, the head of communications at the Better Than Cash Alliance, Ricardo Dunn, shared his appreciation too, saying: “Thank you to Flow Communications for the great photos, video and support in making our executive committee event a success.”
Progress doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it’s found in the quiet satisfaction of a farmer holding up a phone to show their payment confirmation or in the laughter of a team learning a new culture together.
Ghana gave us perspective, great food and a lot of chocolate – and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
