Domestic long-distance telephone calls often do not connect, and international calls can be nearly impossible. Electricity is sporadic, even in parts of the capital. Some sections of Accra are without water most of each week. Outside investment has thus barely helped to dent this nation's overwhelming poverty. Bare-chested fishermen toss their nets into coastline waters, hoping that day's catch will feed their children.
Subsistence farmers hawk fruits and vegetables on rickety tables along the rural roadside.
Unemployment exceeds 25 percent in urban areas. The government repeatedly has said it would like Ghana to become a middle-income nation by the year 2020. The World Bank estimates that, at this rate, Ghana will not reach its target until 2045. A tour of the Ghanaian countryside makes clear one large reason that world capital flows have bypassed this nation. Before foreigners can be drawn to invest, governments must make basic investments in infrastructure, such as roads and electricity, and in people, through health and education.