One big difference I have noted from my previous time in Ghana is the relatively few Ghanaians who smoke these days. In the 1990s there were kiosks on every corner selling cigarettes. People bought them in ones or twos. I remember my partner, who smoked then, was a rarity when he bought them by the packet.
Now the cigarette sellers have disappeared and in their place are the sellers of mobile phone cards. These proliferate and many people seem to earn their living by dodging traffic to wave a variety of cards at people stuck in the numerous traffic jams.
I presume the advent of the mobile phone has meant that people have a choice - spend a few cedis a day on a mobile phone card or buy cigarettes, and it looks like the phone cards have won out!
I suppose the next question is, are Ghanaians now safe from lung cancer only to have to worry about brain cancer?
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