Travelling journal Ghana February 2026 3/6

EWIA CEO Ralph Schneider is currently traveling in Ghana with his colleague Jonathan Baumann. Read on to find out what their day is like, who they’re meeting, where, when, and why.

 Day 8: Monday, February 16 – Accra

Unfortunately, Jonathan has also had to learn the hard way that it takes some time to adjust to Ghana. The change in diet, the hot and humid climate, sleeping with the air conditioning on, and taking malaria medication are taking their toll. This is Jonathan’s first trip to West Africa, so he had to take a temporary break yesterday and again today.

How to Make Fish Farms Sustainable

Today is shaping up to be quite a day. On the one hand, I have a lunch meeting with the management of one of our strongest competitors. On the other hand, we have our first meeting with a major potential client. The topic is the electrification of a fish farm that is operated sustainably. Part of the sustainability concept also involves generating green electricity using photovoltaics. The goal is to even secure carbon credit financing. The project is expected to involve a 750 kWp system with a 1 MWp storage unit. A unique feature would be to construct the PV system as a roof over the fish farming tanks. The daily electricity demand amounts to approximately 2.2 MWh per day.

This afternoon, we had another in-depth discussion with Klimja regarding the financing of our Waterfalls project in Cameroon. There are still a few issues that need to be clarified. We have now scheduled our meeting with ACARP for tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. on-site. That means we have to leave the office at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.

Day 9: February 17, Tuesday – Accra

A really busy day. At 8:00 a.m., we head north to visit the ACARP recycling plant. We don’t actually get going until around 8:10 a.m. Traffic in Africa is unpredictable. It takes us a little over 1.5 hours to cover about 30 km. The roads are now significantly better in some places. Nevertheless, there are sections that are more reminiscent of an off-road track: traffic jams, broken-down cars and trucks, and potholes big enough to swallow a toddler. The last 2–3 km are one long bumpy ride, passing by rather simple buildings—many of them corrugated-iron shacks.

State-of-the-art Recycling

When we arrive at ACARP, we are initially surprised to find modern, well-maintained buildings with spacious industrial facilities and warehouses. This also stands in stark contrast to the houses and neighborhoods we have been passing all along.

We are welcomed by the CEO and a delegation. ACARP presents its company professionally with several promotional videos and a well-trained management team. The group has a presence in more than 70 locations across Africa. This includes a bank and an insurance company. This is followed by a tour of the facility. We drive across the manufacturing grounds in an electric cart. This reminds me of my time in China at Yingli. There, too, people were constantly driving from one building to the next in some kind of golf cart. The CEO personally walks us through every single step of the manufacturing process. The products are also explained in detail. Both organic and inorganic recycling takes place here. This means that plastic pellets and crates are also produced, as well as the company’s own liquid fertilizer.

The ability to improvise is essential

We did end up facing a surprise after all. Up until now, we had assumed we would be installing a large rooftop system. Now, however, the request has been made to install a ground-mounted system instead. This requires a major redesign and may affect the cost structure and the monthly payment amount. The technicians quickly reached a consensus among themselves. Since I have many years of experience with ground-mounted systems myself, I’m inspecting the site in person. Given the soil class and size of the terrain, there shouldn’t be any issues. Nevertheless, extensive drainage work is required to prevent puddles or “ponding” during heavy rainfall. Then came the obligatory photo session. The trip back took the usual 1.5 hours.

Scaling and What It Costs

We meet Frank Mensah at our company headquarters. Frank is the managing director of our joint venture, EWIA Infrastructure Ltd., and has flown in from Belgium especially for this. We’ll be in Ghana together for about a week and a half. This afternoon, we have a meeting with one of our next clients. The discussion centers on the latest fiber-optic projects, and we aim to sign a framework agreement here. As a first step, we’ll start with two teams and then scale up to six teams. One of the major challenges is equipping the individual teams appropriately. Each team needs its own enclosed vehicle and, in addition, the necessary equipment, which means an investment of around €15,000 per team. This is a decision we’ll need to vote on within the board. In the evening, we meet a former colleague with whom I previously worked at Yingli Namene in Ghana. We try out a new restaurant and discuss Jan Baur’s plans to build bamboo-based tiny houses. We realize that I brought him to Ghana eleven years ago and that he is now firmly rooted there.

Digitized Restaurants – In Theory

The restaurant we visit was recommended by one of our Ghanaian colleagues; it’s a newly opened African restaurant. Both the decor and the atmosphere are truly very appealing. We quickly realize that “African” is a major focus here. The waitstaff are often overwhelmed, and the menus—which can only be downloaded via a QR code—aren’t working. It feels like there are three waitstaff for every guest. One thing that fascinates me about Africa is how the waitstaff manage to look intently in another direction, making it impossible to place an order or a refill. I count nine waitstaff who, for minutes on end, demonstratively turn their heads away from us at an almost 90-degree angle. TIA – this is Africa.

Day 10: February 18, Wednesday – Accra

As usual, we start the day with an intensive board meeting. This is absolutely essential today, as the entire day is dedicated to our shareholders’ meeting. We set February 18 as the date for the shareholders’ meeting weeks ago. I made a conscious decision to host the Microsoft Teams conference from Accra this time. The question, however, is whether the connection will remain stable. Electricity and internet are often not only unstable but actually go out. The inevitable happens: the power goes out during the meeting. Thankfully, we’re able to bridge the short-term power outage with a UPS battery system. A client meeting was supposed to take place this morning, but it was canceled at the last minute.

Ghanaian Gumbo

Our housekeeping mate surprised us at lunchtime today with some experimental Ghanaian cuisine. The pasta we ordered, which had been overcooked, was sautéed again. It was served with a mixture of canned sausages, pieces of fish, vegetables, eggs, and additional pieces of meat. A combination of fish and meat in sauces and stews with spicy notes is not unusual in Ghana. For my European palate, however, it’s borderline.

Emergency Care: It Works

My colleague Jonathan also discovered this morning that he has developed an eye infection. We quickly arrange an appointment with an ophthalmologist at a clinic, which our sales assistant Stefanie handles perfectly. Fortunately, it turns out to be a relatively minor infection. Nevertheless, Jonathan’s vision will be severely impaired for the next few days.