Accra Cultural Walking Tour: Arts, Crafts and Industry

There are few better ways of scratching the surface of a city than by visiting the local craftspeople and traders as they go about their daily lives. Ghana’s bustling capital city, Accra, is the ideal place to see talented craftspeople in action, and learn what really makes this African city tick.

Start your tour in Accra’s historical Ga-Mashie district, and follow your guide to a local shoemaker. Learn first-hand how the shoemaker takes leather produced in the north of the country and uses it to make shoes that are popular across Ghana.

Your next stop on your Accra walking tour is at a traditional bakery to see a local baker produce delicious, crusty bread in the clay oven for customers. Then, continue to Ngleshie Harbour in the Jamestown area of Accra, where local fishermen can be found casting nets into the sea for their day’s catch. While here, stop to soak up the atmosphere as the fishermen sing traditional Ghanaian songs while hauling in their boats and preparing their catches for sale. This is a wonderful way to see daily life being played out as it has done for generations, in this African coastal city.

Travel onward to a local factory to discover how Accra’s scrap metal is saved from the landfill dump to be recycled in creative and artistic ways. Waste metal is a by-product of Accra’s growth into an industrial city, and dealing with it is a big challenge for the community. See how factory workers convert scrap into everything from kitchen utensils and jewelry to ornaments and objects of art. Finish at the factory by watching some of the highly skilled bronze and tin craftspeople, and observe their creativity as they work.

After three hours discovering the artistic and creative sides to this busy city, finish your tour in the heart of Old Accra.