Dear Blog,
We return home today on the red eye. We had our meeting with the CEO & senior management team at the Credit Union Association of Ghana. CUA is the central for credit unions in Ghana. This was our chance to share some recommendations on how CUA could more effectively assist the credit unions throughout the country. The key issues we shared related to governance, delinquency & education. There is an old joke that an "expert" is defined as someone who has travelled a long way to talk to you. Our team of ten Canadians many times were reinforcing the messages that CUA had been making. But because we have travelled from Canada to talk to the various boards - the directors were more receptive to the recommendations. There was an exchange of gifts, kind words were said and there were some sad farewells. We have made many friends here and I know that our support and friendship will continue through e-mail.
I have packed my bags and I will stop at the crazy Accra market to pick up some gifts before heading to the airport. I need to also pick up something for the itching. The bed bugs were biting last night. I always pull the sheets back before getting into bed but I must have missed them. I wouldn't do well on Fear Factor.
Barry

P.S. I just got back from the hot & humid market. I bought a popular African game that has ancient roots. It is enjoyed by all ages, everyone from kings to kids play it using stones and a simple board. I have left my shoes behind where they will be well used. We are heading to the airport.

Dear Blog,
Today we met a Chief! We were received in his "palace," a single storey, cement block building with peeling paint and an open air courtyard. Plastic patio chairs were sourced from the surrounding houses to accomodate the villagers that looked on. The "receiving ceremony" was a formal event. The Chief wore a traditional African robe tied over one shoulder and welcomed us. He is the Chief for seven villages and about 8,000 people. As is the custom we brought gifts. The first was a bottle of very nice Shnapps. The second was a financial contribution to their electricity project. The villages are in a remote rural area of Ghana and they have no power. If they raise the money to buy and install the wooden poles needed, the government will string the power lines. I think the Chief enjoyed the gift of Schnapps more than the financial donation. We were invited to the village as Abba's guests (Abba is the local credit union manager). She stayed with Gene and his family last October as part of the Canadian Co-operative Association's Women's Mentoring Program. She wanted to return the Canadian hospitality that was shown her. Gene brought a large duffel bag with him to the palace and in it were fifty pairs of soccer boots and jerseys. He brought the gifts as soccer is huge here and most of the children play the game bare foot. Did I mention that the Chief enjoyed the Schnapps. The children were jumping with joy. It was a hot and dusty affair. The two "obrunis" visiting this village caused quite a stir. We were told that we were the first white men to visit this village and pay respect to the Chief. A reporter from the local radio station covered the event and interviewed Gene for the story. We both used our twelve words and phrases that we know in "twi" which was humoursly appreciated by the community. It was a very good day.

Dear blog,
Update! I have been very pleased with this new board of directors. They are enthusiastic and committed to turning things around. Can you imagine having 100% new directors? They are all brand new and have been in place for only three months. They have accomplished a lot. With the assistane of CUA - the apex organization for Ghanaian credit unions - they have written and approved a comprehesive business plan. This document is very good. It is better than the business plans I have seen at many Canadian credit unions. It identifies their critical issues, assigns accountabilities, metrics, action plans and time frames. They took CUAs advice and downsized the board from 11 to 7. They have focused on solving their delinquency issues and have clear and measurable steps outlined. They have put themselves and the staff through CUA sponsored training as it relates to correcting their key financial ratios and they are contributing to their reserves by being disciplined in their cash management practices.
Gene and I focused on assisting with some governance suggestions, helping focus their business plan and we had many suggestions regarding their delinquency. The suggestion the board liked the most was to post the names of the debtors, and their guarantors, on the front door of the credit union. Can you imagine doing this at home? The credit union is in good hands and the board saw our working visit as a boost to their morale and independent confirmation that they were on the right track.
Yesterday we drove south - eight hours to the coast in order to meet up with the other eight Canadians who have been working all over Ghana. This weekend we will finally have a chance to relax and catch up with each other and their credit union work.
On Monday we drive the 200 km to the capital - we were told that it might take as long as six hours....I think I will bring a book. On Tuesday we meet with CUA to debrief. Tuesday evening we leave Accra on the red eye departing at 11:00 PM . Our route is Ghana - Nigeria - Frankfurt - Vancouver. I should be home on Wednesday in time for dinner with Ramona and the children where I will entertain them with funny stories about the wonderful and generous Ghanian people that I met and became friends with.
I will write my next blog on Tuesday after we have had our debrief session at the capital. Have a good weekend every one.

Dear Blog,
Being a credit union coach is a pretty easy task when the credit union you are visiting is functioning well. In that case it is a matter of observing operations, talking to staff and board members, making a few suggestions, and offering congratulations. This week we are dealing with the flip side of that equation -- a credit union with significant issues that is offering us major challenges.
We have been here only for one day but there are significant issues. First, the credit union has more than 30% of their loans delinquent. Their capital base and reserves are weak and the delinquency alone could bankrupt them. Secondly, a simple cash count three months ago found a cash shortage equal to 10% of the credit union's assets. Attempts are being made to recover the money. Third, an unauthorized business was being run out the back door with a fleet of motorcycles which has now been shut down. Finally, the entire Board was forced to step down in disgrace.
The new Board has a good attitude but needs mentors. The poor manager. She is shell shocked. When we arrived, saying "We are here to help," she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She is committed, but not properly trained and was bullied by her Board. We will give her some tools and assistance and will work with the new board over the next period of time to provide some help. With some work, the business can be turned around. We took this assignment because we like challenges. I really hope that we can help this credit union turn things around.
At lunch today I was served what looked like tomato soup. On closer inspection, I saw two tails and two eye balls sticking out of the broth. To honour my host, I tried the soup and grimaced. A big thank you to Ramona for throwing into my suitcase some granola bars and rice cakes for situations like today. I could never cut it on Fear Factor.

Dear Blog,
Today is Saturday. We were stuck in some brutal road work construction on our way to the board meeting to deliver our written report. The roadside merchants saw this as an opportunity. When they saw two "obroni" or "whitemen" in the car, they saw this as a "blessing from God." We only know about twelve words and phrases so far in "Twi" - the local language. Ghanaians don't expect the obroni to know any of their language. As the merchants came to our car we were able to say to them Twi phrases such as "How are you?" "I am fine." "What is your name?" "My name is Yaw Barry"(terrible name), "Yes - it is good, but no thank you," etc. The reaction is terrific. The person always stops... in surprise. Then they have a good laugh at the obroni's pronunciation. They want to know how much of their language we know. Where did we learn it? Then they stay and we talk in a combination of Twi and English.
The children - selling all sorts of things from baskets on their heads - started shrieking in fun yelling "The obroni are speaking Twi!" Afterwards, they hung around the truck talking to us and laughing for a long time. One woman asked that I take her to my home in Canada. I told her that Ramona wouldn't be pleased. The traffic moved on and so did our day. The Ghanaian people are wonderfully friendly and generous.
Gene, my CCA partner, also has a blog. The main difference between his and mine is that he has pictures of our adventures and travels. My blog has better stories. My blog is generally better. However, if you would like to check his out - his blog address is www.opensourcecu.com
Tomorrow we rest.

Dear Blog,
I don't like my Ghanaian name. Gene's is much better. In Ghana, when a baby is born it is not named for the first week. During that time, the community refers to the baby by the day of the week on which it was born. People then keep that name as a prefix to their given name forever. I had to look up the day of the week I was born which was a Thursday. Ramona, my wife, was born on Tuesday - I looked it up, I am sure she doesn't remember. I don't like my name. Gene's is better. He was born on a Friday. The word for Friday is Kofi. Kofi Gene. Kofi - like Kofi Annan - retired Secretary General of the United Nations. Kofi Annan is from Ghana. He is a hero here.... revered. What makes it worse is that Gene is the third born of three sons. So he gets to add the word Mensa. Which of course sounds smart. He is introduced as Kofi Mensa Gene. Very impressive. I am a Thursdy man and am introduced as Yow Barry. Yow - it sounds like "cow." I'm not talking to Gene right now.
The economy here is terrible. You can see it in the exchange rate. One U.S. dollar will buy you about 10,000 cedis. Let me pick a commodity that is available world wide to give you a sense of the cost of living. One domestic beer, purchased in a bar, will cost 8,000 cedis or about 80 cents. A credit union manager, supervising a full time staff, reporting to a board of directors, preparing financial statements and dealing with the regulator will earn 150,000 cedis a month or about $150 per month. This is less than $5 per day.
Before leaving for Ghana, Ramona gave me a large bag of school supplies to give to a local school. The credit union we were working at today had a primary school across the street. 500+ children in school uniforms, no shoes and playing outside. I presented the gifts as being from my generous wife in Canada. They were very, very appreciative.
My health is good. I feel great. I have decided that I need to drink more beer... for medicinal reasons. Have a good weekend.

Dear Blog,
It was my turn to be sick. The night before last and yesterday I have been dealing with diareah, chills and nausea. I brought some medication with me and went to bed yesterday at noon and slept to 4:00 p.m. I think it was a combination of jet lag and some contaminated food. Today I feel much better.
Earlier this week Gene and I were invited to watch a very important soccer game. The Ghanaian team, called the Black Stars, were playing the Nigerian team, called the Screaming Eagles. The game was played in London and broadcast throughout Ghana. Ghana has not beat Nigeria since 1992. Crowds of people were gathered around small TV sets in the street. Ghana won the game with a score of 4 to 1. You can imagine the cheering. I went to bed with the sounds of partying still going on around me.
We wrapped up our first credit union assignment. We met with the board of directors and the manager and presented our four page written. We had fifteen recommendations dealing with areas such as governance, planning, financial and process. One interesting recommendation dealt with governance. We were advised by the credit union supervising body that in Africa, when someone rises to a position of influence, it is very difficult to have them step down at the end of their mandate, which is why there is a three term limit of (6 years) for directors. At the credit union we were working with - the board had not held an annual general meeting since 2003. The chair's term limit expired and didn't want to have to step down. Interesting. Did I mention it is hot and humid here? ... Right - I did.

Dear blog,
Did I mention that I find it HOT here? Right ... I did. Gene, my CCA partner, had a terrible night. He was up all night vomiting and had serious diarhea. This morning he rested and joined me at the credit union looking pale and tired. He is on the mend but will need another day to recover.
We are in a small community called Bunso in the Eastern Region of Ghana. We found an Internet cafe about a twenty minute drive from work but, with the frequent power fluctuations and outages, it has been a challenge to send out an e-mail. The credit union itself has 700 members, four employees and assets of $400,000. Adelaide, the manager, participated in the CCA's women's mentoring program last year and enjoyed a cold two weeks at a credit union in Hudson Bay. She is happy to return the hospitality shown to her during her time in Canada. I was asked to describe my credit union. When I told the Chairman that we had 700+ employees, he said "Yes, yes...but how many workers do you have." I said, "That is the workers." He slapped his forehead and replied "Ayee - that is astonishing!"
We have spent a lot of time with the Board. The directors say that they are so busy with credit union duties that they don't feel like volunteers anymore. Having said that, they have not delegated any loan decision making authority or cash management authority to the manager. They want to learn and they want to know that it is OK to move into more of an oversight role. It is interesting work. We will be working with three small credit unions and spending three days with each. Tonight, we are preparing our written report for the board of this credit union and will also be watching Ghana play Nigeria in a hotly contested soccer game tonight on TV at a local community centre.

Dear blog,
I found a Catholic church here in the capital. It's called St. James, the same name as my parish in Abbotsford. The English mass started at 7:30 a.m. and lasted two hours. I certainly stood out but the Ghanian people are friendly and made me feel welcome. If my church at home sang with half thevolume and energy of the mass I attended this morning, we would have a parish growing by leaps and bounds.
I have been assigned my Canadian partner to work with at the various creditunion assignments. By happenstance, it is Mr. Gene Creelman, VP Marketing & Communications from Interior Savings Credit Union in Kelowna. Gene and I used to work together at Envision and we are both pilots. We have a lot in common. We leave before lunch and will travel about two hours. We are told that the roads are in good condition this week. It should be fun.

Saturday, Feb. 3rd blog
I have never attended a business meeting where it began with a prayer and an admonishment to wear condoms. We were meeting with the management team for the Credit Union Association of Ghana (the Ghanaian central of credit unions) here in the capital - Accra. HIV /Aids is a tragic pan African epidemic that has destroyed a generation. I saw its affects in my last assignment in Malawi where the number of orphans being raised by grand parents is shocking. The credit union system here is doing its best to educate its members. I like the message that it is promoting in its posters. It is this - "Love Life - abstain or be faithful or use condoms". The message offers choice.
Our Canadian group was invited to the home of the CEO. It was a humble place at the end of a dusty and unpaved road. His name is Emmanuel Darko. He fled the war in Liberia with his five children in 1991 and arrived in Ghana with nothing. He joined the credit union system, built his house and embarked on a personal project eight years ago to build a school for grades 1 through 7. This is not a credit union project. This is his personal vision. The school is built and now serves 300 students. We toured the buildings and his plan is to continue to expand the school so that within three years it will be able to serve 1,000 students. The man is a tirelessworker and a visionary. I was so impressed. Ramona gave me a suitcase full of school supplies before I left. I will be giving them to Emmanual before I leave.

Dear Blog,
I was in the large & crazy Accra market this evening. An enormous collection of merchants who are aggressively selling everything from wood carvings, shirts & drums to chickens, bananas & beer. Even when they are trying to sell you something, the Ghanian people are wonderful. Big smiles, polite & generous. The market environment was dusty & humid. A mixture of smells that included BBQ chicken, leather and sweat. I was amazed to see a man walking through the market with a sewing machine on his head and he was shouting "Garment repairs! Garment repairs!".
We received our assignments today. The ten Canadians have been split into pairs and assigned three credit unions to work with over the next three weeks. My partner and I will be travelling two hours to work in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The first credit union that has asked to work with us has 600 members. We leave on Sunday.

Dear Blog,
We have arrived. More than 24 hours of travelling from Abbotsford to the capital of Ghana, Accra. The connection in Frankfurt was short - 20 minutes. We had to run. I felt like I was in the TV show - Amazing Race. I made the flight but as it turned out only one of my suitcases followed. I have no shaving kit or change of clothes but it is exciting to be here in this city of 2 million people. Traffic jams, noise, polution, people everywhere - I love it.
After a quick breakfast, I needed some local currency. I exchanged $300 US and received 2.7 million in local currency! I was given a complimentary shopping bag to carry it in. So much for my personal security. It is HOT. This is my first morning and the tempature is 35 C. Relative humidity is 70% and I am sweating into the keyboard. The plan is to spend the day at the Ghana Central Credit Union building where we will be briefed. Some of the credit unions that we will be working with are close to the capital and others are about a 12 hour drive North. I feel priviledged to be here and don't have a preference where I am sent.
...Barry