The first sip of Lamugin arrives with a gentle heat — peppery, sweet, smoky, and strangely comforting all at once.

Sold from roadside coolers, market stalls, and small neighbourhood food joints across northern Ghana and beyond, Lamugin is one of those drinks that quietly tells the story of place, memory, and tradition.

Made primarily from rice, ginger, cloves, pepper, and sometimes hints of vanilla or local spices, Lamugin sits somewhere between a refreshing beverage and a natural wellness tonic.

Served cold in transparent bottles or plastic cups packed with ice, it has become especially popular on hot afternoons when Ghana’s sun hangs heavily over crowded streets and open markets.

Its aroma often arrives before the drink itself — the sharp scent of ginger blending with earthy spices familiar to many Ghanaian kitchens.

The flavour follows with layers that shift between sweet and fiery, leaving behind a lingering warmth that explains why many people consider it both refreshing and medicinal. Some drink it for energy, others for digestion, and many simply because it tastes like home.

@chefabbys Originally, Lamugee is a Ghanaian spice drink made from Rice and Tamarind. People confuse this with Zomkom which is made with Millet ❤️ Willl you try this?? #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #viral ♬ Ojapiano – Kcee

Although deeply rooted in northern Ghanaian food culture, Lamugin has steadily crossed regional boundaries, appearing in cafés, food festivals, and modern juice bars in Accra and Kumasi.

For visitors exploring Ghanaian cuisine beyond jollof rice and waakye, it offers something distinctively local and memorable.

What keeps Lamugin beloved is its balance of simplicity and character. In a country rich with flavour, it remains one of Ghana’s most quietly unforgettable drinks — cooling in temperature, bold in personality, and unmistakably Ghanaian.

On a humid July morning in Accra, the campus of the University of Ghana begins to hum with a different kind of energy. It’s not just lectures and deadlines in the air, but conversations about rivers, forests, solar panels, and the futures of girls who will one day shape them.

The 2nd Accra Conference on Environmental Education & Lifelong Learning arrives not as a routine gathering, but as a meeting of ideas grounded in purpose.

At its core, the conference—organized by the Pan African Centre for Climate Policy—explores a powerful idea: that empowering girls through STEM can unlock solutions to Africa’s most urgent environmental challenges.

Building on its inaugural edition, this year’s theme pushes further, connecting lifelong learning with climate resilience, renewable energy, conservation, and sustainable agriculture.

In a continent where traditional knowledge and modern science often intersect, the conference becomes a space where both are valued equally.

What makes this event stand out is how it blends intellectual exchange with lived experience. Visitors can expect panel discussions that move beyond theory, showcasing grassroots innovations led by young women across Africa.

There are storytelling sessions rooted in indigenous ecological wisdom—practices passed down through generations but now finding new relevance in climate conversations.

The atmosphere is collaborative rather than formal, with educators, policymakers, students, and community leaders sharing the same space and, often, the same urgency.

Step outside the conference halls, and the experience widens. Accra itself becomes part of the story. Between sessions, attendees might wander through nearby markets, sample local dishes like waakye or kelewele, or strike up conversations that continue long after the panels end.

Cultural exchanges unfold naturally—through language, food, and shared curiosity. It’s a reminder that sustainability isn’t just about systems; it’s about people and how they live.

For international visitors, the conference offers a rare window into Africa’s environmental dialogue—one shaped not by distant narratives, but by those living the realities.

For Ghanaians, it’s an opportunity to reconnect with both heritage and possibility: to see how traditional practices can inform modern solutions, and how young women are stepping into roles that redefine leadership.

By the time the conference closes on July 24, the conversations won’t simply end—they’ll ripple outward. Because what begins in a lecture hall in Accra has the potential to influence classrooms, communities, and policies across the continent.

Calls for stronger government investment in Ghana’s arts sector took centre stage in Accra last week, as leading artists and academics warned that the country’s cultural momentum could stall without urgent support for infrastructure and preservation.

The appeal came during a conference organized by Foundation for Contemporary Art Ghana in collaboration with TRAFO Centre for Contemporary Art. The gathering brought together artists, curators, students and cultural stakeholders to assess the state of Ghana’s art industry and its future direction.

Despite Ghana’s growing international profile in contemporary art, speakers argued that progress has largely been driven by individual effort rather than coordinated state backing.

Karikacha Seidou, Dean of the Faculty of Art at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, described the current moment as a “golden age of art,” but cautioned that the absence of sustained public investment could undermine these gains.

He pointed to the limited number of museums and galleries, alongside the neglect of public art, as key challenges facing the sector. According to him, strengthening institutional support would not only preserve Ghana’s cultural heritage but also create opportunities for emerging artists and educate younger generations.

Seidou also placed Ghana’s artistic achievements within a broader historical context, noting that many of today’s successes build on cultural foundations laid during the era of Kwame Nkrumah. He cited the global recognition of Ibrahim Mahama, who topped the ArtReview Power 100 list in 2025, as evidence of the country’s growing influence on the international art stage.

Attention also turned to the fate of Ghana’s public monuments. Adwoa Amoah, co-director of the Foundation for Contemporary Art Ghana, highlighted how several historical monuments commissioned in the early post-independence period have either disappeared or fallen into obscurity following political transitions.

She said a recent exhibition by the foundation had reignited debate over whether such monuments should be restored or replaced with new forms of public art that reflect contemporary realities. For Amoah, public art remains central to shaping national identity and fostering civic dialogue.

Participants agreed that without deliberate policies and investment, Ghana risks losing parts of its cultural memory even as its contemporary art scene gains global acclaim.

The conference underscored a growing consensus: that safeguarding the nation’s artistic legacy requires not only creative energy but also sustained institutional commitment.