IT’S IN GHANA, BUT IT’S NOT FOR GHANAIANS
In the heart of West Africa lies a curious trend: luxurious establishments that cater to, well, anyone but Ghanaians. These high-end resorts and hotels are situated on Ghanaian soil, yet their pricing seems to suggest that the people who live here are not part of the intended clientele. Let’s take a look at a few of these establishments, shall we? For purely academic purposes, of course.
Safari Valley Resort
The illustrious Safari Valley Resort, located in the Eastern Region, offers an idyllic escape for the elite. For a modest GHC4,500 to GHC9,000 a night, you too can sleep in one of their luxury lodges. However, when you consider the national minimum wage-GHC14.88 a day-something magical happens. It would take the average Ghanaian nearly a year’s worth of work to afford a one-night stay at this oasis. But hey, who doesn’t want to trade almost 300 days of labor for a night of indulgence? After all, what’s the rush in life if not to work tirelessly for a fleeting moment of luxuгу?
Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City
Then there’s the Kempinski Hotel, a symbol of refined elegance in the heart of Accra. A night. here will set you back a mere GHC3,390. So, for our hard-working minimum wage earner, that’s only 215 days of blood, sweat, and tears to spend a single night in European-inspired grandeur, No big deal, right? Just skip feeding your family for seven months and you’re golden!
Royal Senchi Hotel and Resort
Over at Royal Senchi by the serene Volta River, rooms start at GHC 5958.72. With this unbeatable deal, the average Ghanaian would need to toil for roughly 170 days to make their staycation dreams come true. But what’s six months of work for a night’s rest in one of Ghana’s finest resorts? Surely, this is why we wake up at dawn every day!
It’s in Ghana, But it’s Not for Ghanaians. After carefully crunching the numbers, it becomes clear: these places, though nestled in the beautiful Ghanaian landscape, were probably not built with the local population in mind. One year of backbreaking work for a single night of luxury? The math tells us all we need to know.
Still, there’s something comforting about the fact that while the average Ghanaian may never experience these places, at least they exist for tourists, foreign dignitaries, and maybe the odd local millionaire. Ghanaians can, after all, marvel from afar. And isn’t that worth something? A brief encounter with unattainable luxury is better than no encounter at all..
©️ PHILIP THE WRITER
