Tourism
Beyond the Headlines: What Ex Legislator Ras Mubarak’s 40,000km Journey Reveals About the Real Cost of Africa’s Borders
In the months since former MP Ras Mubarak completed his 160-day, 40,000-kilometer road journey through 31 African countries, the euphoria of his return has faded.
But the questions his trip raised about the practical cost of maintaining colonial-era borders remain urgently unanswered.
Mubarak’s odyssey—undertaken to advocate for a visa-free Africa—was always about more than personal endurance. It was a rolling case study in how fragmentation continues to hold the continent back.
The Price of Paper
Behind the political rhetoric about pan-African unity lies a mundane reality that Mubarak’s team experienced at every border: time, money, and opportunity lost to bureaucratic fragmentation.

The African Development Bank estimates that removing visa requirements could boost intra-African trade by up to 25% within five years. Currently, African countries trade only about 15% of their goods with each other, compared to approximately 60% in Europe and 40% in North America.
For the ordinary African traveler or trader, the cost is personal. Visas cost money. Delays cost time. Informal border payments—sometimes euphemistically called “facilitation fees”—add unpredictability to already thin profit margins.
Infrastructure as Integration
Mubarak’s team witnessed the continent’s infrastructure disparities firsthand—smooth highways in some nations giving way to punishing potholes in others. The physical state of roads, they noted, often reflected political commitment to connectivity.
“When you cross from a country with well-maintained roads into one where infrastructure has crumbled, you’re seeing the legacy of policy choices,” one team member observed during the journey. “Roads don’t just move people. They move goods, ideas, and opportunity.”
The Nkrumah Question
Throughout the journey, Mubarak repeatedly invoked Kwame Nkrumah’s warning that without political unification, Africa would remain economically dependent. Sixty years after Nkrumah’s overthrow, the question lingers: what would the continent look like if his vision had been implemented?
Historians note that Nkrumah understood borders as economic weapons—tools that kept African markets small, bargaining power weak, and dependency entrenched. His push for continental government was not idealism; it was economic strategy.
Agenda 2063 and the Window of Opportunity
The African Union’s Agenda 2063 explicitly calls for “a continent with seamless borders” and “free movement of people, goods, services and capital.”
But timelines are slipping. The target of a continent-wide African passport by 2020 was missed. The goal of visa-free travel for all African citizens remains aspirational in practice, even as countries like Rwanda, Seychelles, and The Gambia have moved toward open borders.
Mubarak’s report to President Mahama lands at a pivotal moment. With Mahama nominated by ECOWAS for the African Union Commission chairmanship race in 2027, Ghana has an opportunity to champion border openness from a position of continental leadership.
The View from the Ground
For the small business owners, cross-border traders, and families separated by colonial lines whom Mubarak’s team encountered, the issue is not theoretical. A woman selling vegetables across the Ghana-Togo border. A truck driver waiting days for clearance between Kenya and Uganda. A student unable to attend a university in a neighboring country because of visa delays.
These are the faces behind the statistics. And they are the reason Mubarak insists that border abolition is not merely political symbolism—it is economic necessity.
A Legacy Unfinished
As the months since his return stretch on, Mubarak continues to press the message that emerged from 40,000 kilometers of African road: the borders are artificial, the costs are real, and the political will to change must come from within.
“The road trip ended,” he reflected recently. “The journey hasn’t.”
Taste GH
Kuli Kuli: The Crunchy Peanut Snack That Travels Across Ghana’s Streets With Ease
There’s a particular sound that follows Kuli Kuli down Ghana’s streets—the sharp, satisfying crunch that announces its presence long before the first bite.
Made from roasted groundnuts pressed into golden sticks or small clusters, this humble snack has earned a permanent place in everyday eating across the country.
Kuli Kuli carries the deep, nutty aroma of roasted peanuts, often enriched with a subtle kick of spice depending on who prepares it. Its texture is firm and crisp, breaking cleanly between the teeth and leaving behind a rich, earthy flavour that lingers. While simple in ingredients, it delivers a depth that makes it hard to eat just one piece.
Across Ghana, Kuli Kuli is more than a snack—it’s part of the rhythm of daily life. It shows up in woven baskets at lorry stations, in transparent bowls on street corners, and in the hands of schoolchildren heading home.
Traders often pair it with roasted groundnuts or sell it alongside other street favourites, making it an easy grab for commuters, workers, and travellers.
For many, it is a quiet companion during long journeys or busy afternoons. It is filling enough to take the edge off hunger, yet light enough to eat on the move. Visitors to Ghana often discover it unexpectedly, handed over in paper wraps or sold from roadside stalls where it sits alongside familiar street foods.
Beyond its taste and convenience, Kuli Kuli also carries a health appeal rooted in its primary ingredient—groundnuts. Rich in protein and healthy fats, it has long been considered a wholesome snack in many households, especially in communities where peanuts are a dietary staple.
Simple, durable, and deeply familiar, Kuli Kuli remains one of those foods that tells a story of resourcefulness and everyday Ghanaian life—one crunchy bite at a time.
Sights and Sounds
Echoes of the Atlantic: A Walk Through the Living History of Jamestown
The salt-heavy breeze of the Gulf of Guinea tangles with the scent of woodsmoke and freshly grilled tilapia as you step into the labyrinthine alleys of Jamestown.
Above, the scarlet and white stripes of the iconic 1930s lighthouse pierce a hazy blue sky, standing as a silent sentry over a neighborhood that refused to be forgotten. To walk these streets is to feel the heartbeat of Accra—raw, rhythmic, and fiercely soulful.
Here, the past doesn’t sit behind glass; it lives in the peeling paint of colonial storefronts and the vibrant mural-lined walls that serve as the community’s open-air canvas.
The geography of Jamestown is a visual timeline of Ghana’s evolution. At the edge of the Atlantic, the Ga Mashie community thrives around the bustling fishing harbor.
From the vantage point of the old harbor walls, you can watch hundreds of hand-painted wooden pirogues, draped in colorful flags, bobbing on the surf as fishermen haul in the morning’s catch. Just a stone’s throw away, the somber, whitewashed walls of Ussher Fort and James Fort provide a stark architectural contrast.
These structures, remnants of Dutch and British colonial presence, offer a heavy but necessary reflection on the transatlantic slave trade, their dungeons echoing with centuries of history that shaped the modern world.
A walking tour here is an exercise in sensory immersion. One moment, you are navigating the narrow “Brazil House” lane, learning about the Tabom people—formerly enslaved Afro-Brazilians who returned to their ancestral home—and the next, you are surrounded by the chaotic energy of a street-side boxing gym.
Jamestown is the undisputed pugilist capital of West Africa; the rhythmic thud of gloves against heavy bags is as much a part of the local soundtrack as the highlife music drifting from corner bars.
Visitors shouldn’t miss the chance to climb the lighthouse for a panoramic view that captures the duality of the city: the old colonial footprint dissolving into the rising glass skyscrapers of the modern business district.
Jamestown demands that you slow down and engage. It is a place where a simple “Agooo” (the local way of asking for passage or attention) opens doors to hidden courtyard cafes and artisan workshops.
By the time the sun begins to dip, painting the harbor in hues of molten gold and violet, you realize that Jamestown isn’t just a destination on a map; it is a masterclass in resilience and the enduring power of community.
Taste GH
Golden, Airy, Irresistible: The Simple Magic of Bofrot
No elaborate fillings. No icing. Just nutmeg, a whisper of sugar, and decades of street-side perfection.
There’s a moment just before dawn in Accra when the air changes—still thick with harmattan dust but suddenly split by the sweet, yeasty whisper of bofrot hitting hot oil. That scent is an alarm clock no one resists.
For the uninitiated: bofrot is Ghana’s golden-fried dough ball, airy as a cloud, crisp on the outside, and tender within. No elaborate fillings. No icing. Just nutmeg, a whisper of sugar, and decades of street-side perfection.
Vendors pile them high in woven baskets near lorry parks, school gates, and market corners. A small bag costs pocket change, yet it fuels everyone from office workers to toddlers tugging at their mothers’ skirts.
Unlike heavier doughnuts, bofrot is surprisingly light—no greasy linger. It’s vegan by tradition, making it an accidental ally for plant-based travelers.
You’ll see Ghanaians tearing pieces to dip into koko (spiced millet porridge) at breakfast or eating them plain as a 4 p.m. pick-me-up. At weddings and outdoorings (naming ceremonies), bofrot arrives in pyramids, a quiet symbol of hospitality and joy.
@akosuahstastyrecipe NO FAIL GHANAIAN BOFROT🇬🇭 ✅INGREDIENTS 3 cups hard flour 1 cup sugar 1 pack instant yeast 1/2 teaspoon salt 1-2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1 and half cup lukewarm water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Oil for frying ✅NOTE Please make sure the water you will use for the yeast is lukewarm not hot #ghanatiktok🇬🇭 #fyp #foodblogger #viral_video #accra #foodies #homemade #bofrot #puff #puffpuff #doughnut @Flottycastiron_and_kitchen ♬ Big Baller – Flavour
Visitors often ask, “Is it just puff puff?” Close, but not quite. Bofrot has a tighter crumb, a deeper caramel blush, and a distinct Ghanaian soul.
Try one from a Mamprobi street cart, steam still rising. You’ll understand why no recipe book can replicate the rhythm of the woman who’s flipped a million of them—her wrist flicking dough into oil like she’s telling time. That’s the real secret.
-
Ghana News5 hours agoPope Leo XIV Strongly Criticises Foreign Exploitation of Africa During Visit to Conflict-Hit Cameroon
-
From the Diaspora5 hours agoGhana High Commissioner Assures UK Scholarship Students of Structured Payment Plan to Clear £32 Million Debt
-
Africa Watch23 hours agoPresident Mahama Arrives in Brazzaville for N’Guesso’s Inauguration as Re-Elected Leader of Congo
-
Ghana News5 hours agoGhana to Open New Embassy in Singapore in Bid To Strengthen Trade Ties with Asia
-
Global Update24 hours agoSouth Africa’s Political Landscape Shaken After Julius Malema Sentenced to Five Years in Prison
-
Ghana News2 days agoGhanaian Man Jailed for Minimum 16 Years for Murder of Deaf Woman in UK
-
Ghana News2 days agoBerekum Chelsea Robbery Suspects Arrested, Power Supply Disruptions, and Other Big Stories in Ghana Today
-
Ghana News11 hours agoMorocco Gifts 2,000 Metric Tons of Fertilizer to Ghana Amid Global Shortage
