The late return last night meant it was time for a well-deserved lie in today. Luckily there was no reason to rush anywhere, since the first item on our schedule was a meeting at 2pm with the Executive of Ghana’s new Youth Parliament.

We got a taxi to the offices of the National Youth Council, where the appointment was taking place. Everyone was a little late, but we still managed to thoroughly discuss the main topic: visiting the UKYP National Sitting in July. We had to go through all the fine details with budget and visa arrangements, so these can be worked on next week. Hopefully the government will provide funding for the five-person delegation, or three or four at the very least.

Ghana’s National Youth Council is located right next to one of Accra’s main sports complexes; I had seen people playing football from a window and wanted to check it out. I even got to play tennis for a while after the club coach generously said it was OK, despite the fact I wasn’t a registered member.

My partner was a young guy called Francis, who told me all about the tennis situation in Ghana. Apparently it’s quite popular – I could see this from the amount of people waiting to use the two club courts. I don’t know why, but I hadn’t really expected this to be the case. Ghana does have great conditions for tennis, but this was the first time I’d seen any courts. They were being very well-used though, so I suppose it must be the same wherever facilities are available.

Unfortunately it got dark around six o’clock so we had to stop the game. This was still a cool experience though, and hopefully there will be time to go back again. One unusual luxury the players enjoyed was having ball boys available to collect the balls. I’d never had this before, something Francis found quite surprising. He told me the children were always there; it was their only way to generate income. So, while it might be fun for the club members to have this service available, the dark side is that these kids don’t have any education or proper kind of job.

This evening I went with Kwame to a sports bar on the site of the Paloma Hotel, where I spent my first night in Ghana. As soon as I stepped inside I was hit by the westernisation of the place. For the first time since I’ve been here, Ghanaian people were in the minority; the only natives around were serving drinks. The clientele were all tourists of the kind I don’t really like. I think they were mostly British – British tourists always seem to have some kind of presence I can detect and don’t appreciate. It may seem silly for me to say that, but I don’t regard myself as a tourist, especially in the circumstances of why I am in Ghana. Also, whenever I visit anywhere, I deliberately try not to follow the beaten paths of tourism. Yes, seeing some famous sites is always worthwhile, but the rest of the time I like exploring the native culture and learning about how people live. A nice tan is not top of my priority list. Unlike most tourists, who don’t care if everyone can see they’re from abroad, I try to be inconspicuous (very hard in Africa though, obviously, but Europe is a different story). When I get home from a trip, I want to be able to say I’ve had a truly unique experience – not the same as all the other visitors who were there. That’s the way to travel.

Anyway, we didn’t stay at that place very long. After getting soundly beaten at foosball for the third game by the same opponents, it was time to go home. The sports bar was too much like places I see all the time in London and hanging out in similar environments to what you’re used to is not good activity when in other countries.

Today was a landmark date for me. It’s exactly a year since my last exam at school. Wow. I can still remember the cascades of relief when I finished the Politics paper, stepping out of the classroom into the afternoon sun and knowing I was free. That was June 30, 2005. Back then I could not possibly have anticipated all that has transpired in the intervening time. Who could have predicted I would be in Ghana, or that I would have been in more than 20 countries overall? After that exam all I could think about was hurrying back home to get ready for the end-of-school boat party.

One thing is for sure: I wouldn’t change the way anything happened in that year, or swap the experience for any other. I’ve learnt so much more than I could have imagined – about myself as much as anything else – and in terms of life experience I’ve learnt more than I ever did in all my time at school. My life has changed in lots of major ways, especially in terms of how I’m planning to spend the rest of it. Taking time away from study has really broadened my perspectives and there have been some truly unforgettable moments along the way. Not to say it’s over yet though, I still have three months left!

The late return last night meant it was time for a well-deserved lie in today. Luckily there was no reason to rush anywhere, since the first item on our schedule was a meeting at 2pm with the Executive of Ghana’s new Youth Parliament.

We got a taxi to the offices of the National Youth Council, where the appointment was taking place. Everyone was a little late, but we still managed to thoroughly discuss the main topic: visiting the UKYP National Sitting in July. We had to go through all the fine details with budget and visa arrangements, so these can be worked on next week. Hopefully the government will provide funding for the five-person delegation, or three or four at the very least.

Ghana’s National Youth Council is located right next to one of Accra’s main sports complexes; I had seen people playing football from a window and wanted to check it out. I even got to play tennis for a while after the club coach generously said it was OK, despite the fact I wasn’t a registered member.

My partner was a young guy called Francis, who told me all about the tennis situation in Ghana. Apparently it’s quite popular – I could see this from the amount of people waiting to use the two club courts. I don’t know why, but I hadn’t really expected this to be the case. Ghana does have great conditions for tennis, but this was the first time I’d seen any courts. They were being very well-used though, so I suppose it must be the same wherever facilities are available.

Unfortunately it got dark around six o’clock so we had to stop the game. This was still a cool experience though, and hopefully there will be time to go back again. One unusual luxury the players enjoyed was having ball boys available to collect the balls. I’d never had this before, something Francis found quite surprising. He told me the children were always there; it was their only way to generate income. So, while it might be fun for the club members to have this service available, the dark side is that these kids don’t have any education or proper kind of job.

This evening I went with Kwame to a sports bar on the site of the Paloma Hotel, where I spent my first night in Ghana. As soon as I stepped inside I was hit by the westernisation of the place. For the first time since I’ve been here, Ghanaian people were in the minority; the only natives around were serving drinks. The clientele were all tourists of the kind I don’t really like. I think they were mostly British – British tourists always seem to have some kind of presence I can detect and don’t appreciate. It may seem silly for me to say that, but I don’t regard myself as a tourist, especially in the circumstances of why I am in Ghana. Also, whenever I visit anywhere, I deliberately try not to follow the beaten paths of tourism. Yes, seeing some famous sites is always worthwhile, but the rest of the time I like exploring the native culture and learning about how people live. A nice tan is not top of my priority list. Unlike most tourists, who don’t care if everyone can see they’re from abroad, I try to be inconspicuous (very hard in Africa though, obviously, but Europe is a different story). When I get home from a trip, I want to be able to say I’ve had a truly unique experience – not the same as all the other visitors who were there. That’s the way to travel.

Anyway, we didn’t stay at that place very long. After getting soundly beaten at foosball for the third game by the same opponents, it was time to go home. The sports bar was too much like places I see all the time in London and hanging out in similar environments to what you’re used to is not good activity when in other countries.

Today was a landmark date for me. It’s exactly a year since my last exam at school. Wow. I can still remember the cascades of relief when I finished the Politics paper, stepping out of the classroom into the afternoon sun and knowing I was free. That was June 30, 2005. Back then I could not possibly have anticipated all that has transpired in the intervening time. Who could have predicted I would be in Ghana, or that I would have been in more than 20 countries overall? After that exam all I could think about was hurrying back home to get ready for the end-of-school boat party.

One thing is for sure: I wouldn’t change the way anything happened in that year, or swap the experience for any other. I’ve learnt so much more than I could have imagined – about myself as much as anything else – and in terms of life experience I’ve learnt more than I ever did in all my time at school. My life has changed in lots of major ways, especially in terms of how I’m planning to spend the rest of it. Taking time away from study has really broadened my perspectives and there have been some truly unforgettable moments along the way. Not to say it’s over yet though, I still have three months left!

Our day began with an early appointment to meet the Kpando District Chief Executive, Pius Adanuti Kwami, who had kindly agreed to be interviewed for the documentary. Although our 8.30 start time became somewhat delayed, we got more than just an interview. The DEC invited other members of his staff into the spacious office and convened a panel discussion which was chaired by Kwame. I really enjoyed hearing everyone’s views on youth involvement, with the Chief Exec repeatedly describing young people as “agents of change”. Even better was the fact I knew there was a will behind the words, a commitment to action. What a breath of fresh air from the negativity I experience a lot at home.

As for the projects, they were all amazing again. Edem and his brother took us round in the same small, battered white car, which felt a little closer to falling apart every time we hit a pothole in the road. The driver seemed to have an almost mystical connection with the vehicle; I don’t think anyone else would have been able to control it in the same way. This kind of limit to resources is the sad story of youth activities across the road.

Project number one was another education initiative being organised by local volunteers. Their teaching and hard work gives opportunities to so many children, many of whom spoke about ambitions to be doctors or teachers. Free breakfast is also provided and this is a great incentive to attend. Lunch is available at only 2,000 cedis; one reason this is so cheap is that the ingredients are grown in fields adjacent to the school premises, with some of the crop sold off to subsidise its operations. Scholarships donated by supporters in the USA have been made available to the poorest families and highest achieving children as well. I think this project is a little more advanced than the similar initiative we saw in Kramokom; hopefully they will both keep growing and improving.

The next two sites we visited were agricultural initiatives. First we learnt about a pineapple and mango farm which is run almost exclusively by female volunteers. They are getting very good business and when I tasted some pineapple I understood why. Simply delicious. We ten visited another plantation nearby, where okro is grown. Profits from both of these ventures are used to reward the local volunteers and develop their communities.

Our host Edem, the man behind much of this great work, explained to us how he has established a youth coalition in Kpando. The operation is similar to what Kwame does at a national level with the Global Youth Action Network and I believe these efforts are essential. It is vitally important to share knowledge and information in order to succeed with these programmes. Edem would not have been able to five us such a good tour of activities if it had not been for his efforts to create the coalition. Long may it continue!

So that’s the end of another productive day. The small car was very happy to get home – its engine emitted a shrill whistling sound of jubilation. We had a bit of rain earlier which disrupted the filming, but thankfully it was nothing major. They delay just meant a slightly later return to Accra (arriving around 10.30pm) after an exhilarating nighttime ride through the Ghanaian countryside. For some reason I always think everything is more exciting when it’s dark outside.

Our day began with an early appointment to meet the Kpando District Chief Executive, Pius Adanuti Kwami, who had kindly agreed to be interviewed for the documentary. Although our 8.30 start time became somewhat delayed, we got more than just an interview. The DEC invited other members of his staff into the spacious office and convened a panel discussion which was chaired by Kwame. I really enjoyed hearing everyone’s views on youth involvement, with the Chief Exec repeatedly describing young people as “agents of change”. Even better was the fact I knew there was a will behind the words, a commitment to action. What a breath of fresh air from the negativity I experience a lot at home.

As for the projects, they were all amazing again. Edem and his brother took us round in the same small, battered white car, which felt a little closer to falling apart every time we hit a pothole in the road. The driver seemed to have an almost mystical connection with the vehicle; I don’t think anyone else would have been able to control it in the same way. This kind of limit to resources is the sad story of youth activities across the road.

Project number one was another education initiative being organised by local volunteers. Their teaching and hard work gives opportunities to so many children, many of whom spoke about ambitions to be doctors or teachers. Free breakfast is also provided and this is a great incentive to attend. Lunch is available at only 2,000 cedis; one reason this is so cheap is that the ingredients are grown in fields adjacent to the school premises, with some of the crop sold off to subsidise its operations. Scholarships donated by supporters in the USA have been made available to the poorest families and highest achieving children as well. I think this project is a little more advanced than the similar initiative we saw in Kramokom; hopefully they will both keep growing and improving.

The next two sites we visited were agricultural initiatives. First we learnt about a pineapple and mango farm which is run almost exclusively by female volunteers. They are getting very good business and when I tasted some pineapple I understood why. Simply delicious. We ten visited another plantation nearby, where okro is grown. Profits from both of these ventures are used to reward the local volunteers and develop their communities.

Our host Edem, the man behind much of this great work, explained to us how he has established a youth coalition in Kpando. The operation is similar to what Kwame does at a national level with the Global Youth Action Network and I believe these efforts are essential. It is vitally important to share knowledge and information in order to succeed with these programmes. Edem would not have been able to five us such a good tour of activities if it had not been for his efforts to create the coalition. Long may it continue!

So that’s the end of another productive day. The small car was very happy to get home – its engine emitted a shrill whistling sound of jubilation. We had a bit of rain earlier which disrupted the filming, but thankfully it was nothing major. They delay just meant a slightly later return to Accra (arriving around 10.30pm) after an exhilarating nighttime ride through the Ghanaian countryside. For some reason I always think everything is more exciting when it’s dark outside.

Our first appointment this morning was with a guy named Steven, a colleague of Kwame, who is a member of the planning group for Ghana’s new Youth Parliament. Kwame and I had been discussing possibilities for a Ghanaian delegation to visit this year’s annual meeting of the UK Youth Parliament, known as the Sitting, which is taking place in July – and this was the man who could help make it happen. The previous day Steven had met a government minister and asked about funding for the programme; the answer was positive. That is very good news. Now we can start making preparations for the trip, but things will have to move quickly because there is limited time.

Next on our agenda was a meeting of civil society leaders in Ghana, which Kwame had been invited to attend. Representatives from many NGOs gathered to organise campaigning ideas for the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); one item up for discussion was the creation of a new Youth Platform in the structure of the group. There are already platforms for MDG issues, e.g. Health and Education, but the young people present made a very strong case to have a separate category even though youth is a cross-cutting issue. Lively debate took place and the rest of the committee eventually accepted the proposal, after my friend Emmanuel had made a great speech to convince them. And I got the whole thing on camera as well – could make interesting content for the documentary.

So I guess you could that was the second victory for Ghana’s young people in the space of two days. The next big question was: could the national football team match these historic achievements and overcome Brazil in the World Cup second round? The chair of the civil society meeting hurried it along, trying to get everything covered in time for kickoff. He did a good job and we were out with a couple of hours to spare.

Palpable tension gripped the afternoon air. Accra an atmosphere of great expectancy and nervousness. The streets suddenly became littered with every kind of football merchandise imaginable: items ranged from shirts to lanyards to hats and wristbands. Nearly everyone had purchased something like this – I saw few people not displaying some kind of national icon in support of the Black Stars. Flags were everywhere. Many drivers had decked out their vehicles and others chose to make improvised bandanas or capes.

The match began in a brisk manner. Ghana’s coach had obviously outlined the need to get at Brazil early on and not let the defending champions reach their stride. Then, suddenly, we were hit by a mini disaster: another power cut at Kwame’s place, in the middle of a promising Ghanaian attack. We rushed outside to see if anyone else was watching nearby, but no luck. If we’d been in central Accra it would have been easy, but this was the outskirts. Then, abruptly, we heard a great uproar from a bit further away – had Ghana taken the lead? Kwame ran off to try and find out, shouting questions to the sky and hoping for a positive response. Another minute passed and electricity returned to the house. The TV set flickered once, twice and the match was back on screen. The score: 1-0 to Brazil. Disappointment.

The Black Stars went on to dominate the rest of the first half and much of the second. The team was playing out of this world to keep Brazil at bay and make opportunities for an equaliser. But as the strikers missed chance after chance I felt a distinct sense of impending doom to the possibilities of a Ghana comeback.

This proved to be painfully correct. A combination of outrageous good luck and clinical finishing gave Brazil a final score of 3-0; this result was massively unreflective of the way the game was played. Ghana had superior possession (a stat people could not stop mentioning afterwards) and created more openings to score than the opposition. The key difference between the two sides was that Brazil took their chances and the Black Stars did not.

Many Ghanaians (and indeed others) argue that another main factor in the loss was the referee. It’s true the officiating at this World Cup has been of a horrendous standard, with referees showing blatant bias towards the big teams. Questions marks were also raised about FIFA’s decision to put a Slovakian in charge of this particular clash, after Ghana had previously defeated the Czech Republic. This country and Slovakia used to be the same nation – Czechoslovakia – and the languages, people and cultures are virtually identical. It is also known that, after the match, the ref was seen pleading with Brazilian players for a souvenir shirt. Is that the world football governing body’s idea of being impartial?

All of that said and done, the people of Ghana are still immensely proud of their team’s performance. Africa and African football will gain a lot from the Black Stars’ brave displays. In Accra a few hardcore fanatics were even still celebrating, although somewhat mutedly. I just hope that, for once, people will remember the match itself – not just the result. So many other heroic efforts have been lost in the archives because they ultimately came to nothing and it would be sad to see that happen again in this instance.