AWCON 2018 Diaries - 18 hours road trip, bush track and conversion rates.


18 hours road journey at a stretch in West Africa isn't a joke.

I repeat.

18 hours road journey at a stretch in West Africa isn't a joke.

My journey to cover the 2019 Africa Women's Nations Cup started with a trip to Lagos where I passed the night as  prepared to embark on a mini West African tour to get to Cape Coast, Ghana which is where the Falcons will play their group games.

Passing through the borders of Benin,Togo and then Ghana in that order is entertaining to say the least.

The most beautiful of them all and more organized is that of Togo. Though the back bush track without having to face immigration still dey. Yes you read that right -back bush.



Let me also add that the "Okada" drivers in Benin and Togo all wore helmets, a departure from what is obtainable n most Nigerian cities despite directives by the government.

As usual cartoons of Indomie at the Nigerian border sold for 2k (chicken spice) and 2,200 (onion spice). But in Ghana, a single 70g pack of Indomie is 90 naira x 40 packets in a cartoon equals 3600 naira...Oh boy!!

Wahala dey.

Benin and Togo looked similar in type of houses, roads, cars and physical appearances of the residents...No much difference as usual from Nigeria EXCEPT that everything in these countries is written in FRENCH...but then thanks to the internet and google translation, I was able to deduce what the signs meant to a great extent.


Getting into Ghana via the border was easy...Luggage checking was minimal.

Something funny  happened there sha (in Lasisi's voice)

While getting my luggage into the office for checking , I was pulling my box and surprisingly it bumped into a man - accidentally....yes a man but it wasn't his leg or hands but his "blokos" ...

The man screamed in pain and then smiled at me. I was confused.

Those walking behind him asked that I compensate him with some Ghana cedis...eh? Abasi mbok!!!

I was scared....They were dead serious initially but it took few minutes to realise they were joking...I heaved a sigh of relief afterwards because the money they called ah....1,000 cedis = 75,000 naira.....lol.

Where  I  for start?





Let me bore you a bit this is a guide for those still on their way to Ghana for the AWCON.

Buying of sim card at the Ghana border is 5 cedis. In Cape Coast it's 3 cedis.

A cedi is 74.5 naira (Don't forget this important part).

It takes 40 cedis to get 2.5 gb of mtn data plus 1.25gb data as 50 percent data.

Forgive me, I'm a mathematics person so at every point I did my conversion in my head or phone especially at the exchange rate point to avoid "wayo".... as a typical Naija babe na (winks)

The traffic at the entrance into the city of Accra is the twin brother of Lagos Island own not to talk of when you get into the heart of Accra.

We basically spent two hours in traffic in Accra then another 90 minutes at the exit point of Accra on our way to Cape Coast.

Our driver gave us gist. He was charged 3,000 Ghana cedis for overtaking a judge in Accra. Lolzzzz....Only n Africa.


Got to our destination in Accra at 7:30 pm Accra time (8:30pm) Nigerian time.

I and my companion Sola (we made the trip together from Lagos) hired a private taxi for 250 Gh cedis - approximately 19500 for a four hour journey to Cape Coast not because of the distance because the actual distance is two hour 30 minutes + hold up of one hour 30 minutes.

Despite eating jollof rice, fried plantain and chicken given us by the transport company in the morning in Nigeria , I and Sola didn't get any other snack for 9 hours till we set out for Cape Coast upon arrival in Ghana.

I bought road side plantain chips for 2 cedis =150 naira.




When our car stopped by to get gas at the station, we seized the opportunity to buy some groceries before continuing our journey to Cape Coast.

O boy, my phone calculator was on standby as we entered the supermarket.

Small breakdown of what we bought-

Indomie = 90 naira = 1.2 cedis

Blueband = 300 = 4 cedis

Mcvites digestive = 90 naira =1.20 cedis

Close up =2.80 cedis= 210 naira

Vaseline =525 = 7 cedis

Bread = 560 naira = 7.5 cedis

Milo 400g =1600 naira =21.3 cedis

Peak =2600 naira = 34.6 cedis


Stuff from the supermarket 

Cowbell=19.5 cedis = 1,463 naira

Quaker oats a packet =7 cedis = 525 naira

St Louis cube sugar =6.50cedis = 487.5 naira

Note - any money less than one cedi is called Pesewas which is usually in a coin form.


After comparing prices for all the items,we discovered it's a difference of 1 thousand naira at most from what's obtainable in Nigeria.

Fair enough except for the carton of Indomie Sha.

Our journey to Cape coast was beautiful,the traffic,night light flashes in the city is unexplainable. Felt safe traveling at 11 pm.


My abode for the next couple of days

Got to our inn and received a WOW surprise, beautiful quiet place...Awww!!!

Much better than  expected to be honest.

Where the Falcons will do battle.

More gist tomorrow

AKWAABA!!!!

Ekikere 'kiki' Monday

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