My people! Life dey sweet for Africa !

Una go wake up for beach house, eat fresh coconut (and drink de milk if you like); hop on tuk-tuk na hit mountain go visit chief in 500-yr old palace court where make we grow belly with fresh fish with peanut stew n foo-foo; off to rain-forest where tree na go touch clouds; hop on propeller to Ashanti gold mine but before u become too rich o, hop back to big city lights make we cool down to fresh palm-wine (or palmie) and yarn business with modern-day chiefs of local and multinational firms; we ready for dance to Fela, the high life…

London Business School students organised a fantastic trip to Ghana and Nigeria during the spring break. It was the first trip by the School to the region and was an exhilarating and refreshing learning experience. Over an 11 day period, participants visited some of the exciting sites in both countries, met business leaders, participated in volunteer service and found time to have fun as well!

The first stop was in Ghana where the group spent a day sightseeing in the capital. Ghana and Ghanaians are very proud of their history so there were a number of places to see including the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, the art and craft market and the Independence Square. This was followed by a drive from Accra through the central region to Obuasi, home of the famous Ashanti gold mines. Along the way, the students discovered a local palm wine distillery and learnt about brewing local gin, while sampling some fresh palm wine!

In Obuasi, the group was received by AngloGold Ashanti (www.anglogold.com) and given a tour of the over 100 year old mine by "Captain" who had been working there for 23 years. He was thoroughly entertaining, and made the long walk quite enjoyable. The group got lessons on blasting and drilling, witnessed some of the training exercises for the miners and walked a distance of 800 feet below surface (although most felt it was a lot further than that!) There was also a visit to the ore processing facility and lessons about the process for extracting gold from the ores and AngloGold Ashanti 's environment friendly enzyme based extraction process. There were discussions about the company's corporate social responsibility activities and how it proactively engages the communities affected by its activities to identify and execute projects that add value to their lives. Unfortunately the group didn't get to take any gold with them, but had a lot of fun!

Then, it was off to Kumasi to learn more about the Ashanti history and culture. Kumasi is the home of the Ashanti Tribe of Ghana. Ashanti are famous for their wars, military tactics, Kings and queen mothers, Gold and Kente cloth: a living culture that symbols the much of what people know of Ghana . There, the group visited the Manhyia Palace Museum and the Palace of the Ashantihene (king), the National Cultural Centre, market, art and crafts shops and had some real Ghanaian hot, spicy and delicious food. There was also a visit to the home of kente and adrinka cloth making. A few students tried their hands at cloth making and found it fun! The nightlife in Kumasi was very lively as well and everyone had fun dancing most of the night in the hip clubs. With good music, a young and vibrant crowd, and fun seeking London Business School students, it was a night out to remember.

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