RAF/AFCAS/09-Info
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October 2009
AFRICAN COMMISSION ON AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS
Twenty first Session
Accra, Ghana, 28 – 31 October 2009
INFORMATION NOTE
21st Session of the African Commission on Agricultural Statistics (AFCAS)
Accra, Ghana, 28 – 31 October 2009
GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Introduction
The objective of this General Information is to provide participants at the session with all
the necessary information so as to guide them during their stay in Accra, Ghana.
2. Venue and date
The 21st Session of the African Commission on Agricultural Statistics (CASA/AFCAS)
will be held at the «NOVOTEL» Hotel, Accra from the 28th to 31st October 2009. The
Session will be preceded by a technical workshop of which details will be finalised
shortly, scheduled for the same venue, from the 26th to 27th October 2009.
3. Registration
Registration of participants will take place at the Front Desk of the « NOVOTEL » Hotel:
Workshop:
Monday 26th October 2009, between 8h00am and 9h00am. The
opening ceremony begins at 9h 00am.
AFCAS :
Wednesday 28th October 2009, between 8h00am and 9h00am.
The opening ceremony begins at 9h 00.
4. Technical documents for the meetings
The technical documents related to this session will be available from 1 October 2009
onwards at the following Website: http://www.fao.org/africa/regional-commissions/africacommission-on-agricultural-statistics/en/
5. Organisation of the meetings
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, through the Regional Office
of Accra, Ghana, is committed to provide the necessary logistics to ensure optimum
conditions for these meetings.
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a. Hotel accommodation
The workshop and the AFCAS Secretariats will be situated at the Novotel Hotel.
Please find below the address of the Novotel Hotel, venue for the 21st Session of the
AFCAS and the Workshop:
HOTEL NOVOTEL
Barnes Road
P.O.Box AN 12720
Accra – North, Ghana
Tel. : +233 (0) 21 66 75 46
Fax : +213 (0) 21 66 75 33
Email : reservations@accrahotel.net
Unless indicated otherwise, hotel reservations will be made for participants at the
Novotel Hotel.
For participants who would like to lodge elsewhere, it will be advisable that they
choose from the list of Hotels proposed in Annex 1. The FAO Regional Office for
Africa will ensure transportation between the Conference venue and all listed hotels.
Participants who wish to stay elsewhere are free to do so, but may have to arrange their
own transport to and from the conference venue.
b. Entry requirements
Entry visa - It is necessary to have a valid passport and an entry visa before traveling to
Ghana. Participants are therefore kindly requested to contact the Ghanaian Diplomatic
Mission as soon as possible to obtain a visa. For participants from countries where
there is no Ghanaian Diplomatic Mission, a visa can be obtained upon arrival at the
costs of US $ 100.
Citizens of ECOWAS countries are exempted from the need for a visa to enter Ghana.
Vaccinations - Yellow fever vaccination is required before traveling to Ghana.
Airport tax - There is no airport tax to be paid, neither on arrival nor at departure.
c. Arrangements upon arrival
Delegates who have earlier on communicated their Flight itinerary (Flight number, Arrival
time) will be welcomed at Kotoka International Airport in Accra by representatives from the
hotel they will be staying in. Transport will be provided from the Airport to their Hotel
through the respective hotel shuttle services. Please look for a hotel staff with their respective
signs.
Unfortunately, participants who did not communicate their arrival details to the organizers
can not be welcomed at the Airport and would have to find their own way to their Hotel.
d. Local currency and foreign exchange
Money can be changed at the Airport, in banks, in Forex Bureaux, as well as in Hotels
with exchange facilities. The local currency is the Ghana Cedi (GHC).
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The exchange rate (@ 20 August 2009), for information only:
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1 Dollar US = about 1.46 GHC
1 Euro = about 2.04 GHC
e. Delegations
ALL participants are kindly requested to complete the form in Annex 2
and return it to the organizers latest by September 15th 2009. The form
contains all the details required for appropriate arrangements to be made
to welcome and lodge delegates (Flight numbers and schedule)
6. Introduction of Ghana
Ghana is a country located on the Gulf of Guinea, only a few degrees north of the
Equator, therefore giving it a warm climate. The country spans an area of 238,500 km2 . It
is surrounded by Togo to the east, Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north and
the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) to the south. The Greenwich Meridian passes through
Ghana, specifically through the industrial city of Tema. Ghana is geographically closer to
the "centre" of the world than any other country even though the actual centre, (0°, 0°) is
located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 614 km south of Accra, Ghana, in the Gulf of
Guinea. Ghana can be divided into five different geographical regions. The coastline is
mostly a low, sandy shore backed by plains and scrub and intersected by several rivers
and streams while the northern part of the country features high plains. Southwest and
south central Ghana is made up of a forested plateau region consisting of the Ashanti
uplands and the Kwahu Plateau and the hilly Akuapim-Togo ranges are found along the
country's eastern border. Tha Volta Basin also takes up most of central Ghana. Ghana's
highest point is Mount Afadjato which is 885 m and is found in the Akwapim-Togo
Ranges. The climate is tropical. The eastern coastal belt is warm and comparatively dry
(see Dahomey Gap); the southwest corner, hot and humid; and the north, hot and dry.
Lake Volta, the world's largest artificial lake, extends through large portions of eastern
Ghana and is the main source of many tribuatry rivers such as the Oti and Afram rivers.
There are two main seasons in Ghana, the wet and the dry seasons. Northern Ghana
experiences its rainy season from March to November while the south, including the
capital Accra, experiences the season from April to Mid-November. Southern Ghana
contains evergreen and semideciduos forests consisting of trees such as mahogany, odum
and ebony. It also contains much of Ghana's oil palms and mangroves. Shea trees,
baobabs and acacias are usually found in the savanna and the northern part of the country
Ghana has a population of about 23.9 million people. The ethnic groups in Ghana are the
Akan (which includes the Fante, Akyem, Ashanti, Kwahu, Akuapem, Nzema, Bono,
Akwamu, Ahanta and others) 49.3%, Mole-Dagbon 15.2%, Ewe 11.7%, Ga-Dangme
(comprising of the Ga, Adangbe, Ada, Krobo and others) 7.3%, Guan 4%, Gurma 3.6%,
Gurunsi 2.6%, Mande-Busanga 1%, other tribes 1.4%, other (Hausa, Zabarema, Fulani)
1.8% (2000 census). According to the 2000 government census, religious divisions are as
follows: Christian 69%, Muslim 16%, African beliefs 15%.
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More than 250 languages and dialects are spoken in Ghana. English is the
country's official language used in government and business affairs.
Christians are 69%, Muslim 16% and other African beliefs 15%.
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Capital: Accra (about 2 millions inhabitants).
Other major urban centers: Kumasi, Tamale, Takoradi.
Country Code: 233
Time Zone: GMT + 0
Useful Contacts
All correspondence should be sent to the following address:
Naman KEITA
Senior Statistician / Secretary of the 21st AFCAS
National Statistical Systems Group
Country Statistics Service
FAO Statistics Division Room C 426
Rome, Italy
Tel: +390657053827 Fax: +390657055615
E-mail: Naman.Keita@fao.org
With copy to:
Aleston KYANGA
21st AFCAS/Workshop Secretariat,
FAO Regional Office for Africa,
PO Box 1628, Accra, Ghana
Tel +233-21-675000 ext 3147
Fax: +233-30-7010943
Email: aleston.kyanga@fao.org
And:
AmiMassan KUMAPLEY,
21st AFCAS/ Workshop support coordinator
FAO Regional Office for Africa,
PO Box 1628, Accra, Ghana
Tel +233-21-675000 ext 3206
Fax: +233-30-7010943
Email: amimassan.kumapley@fao.org
And
Diana TEMPELMAN
Technical Team Coordinator. RAFT-ES/TC
FAO Regional Office for Africa,
PO Box 1628, Accra, Ghana
Tel +233-21-675000 ext 3131
Fax: +233-30-7010943
Email: diana.tempelman@fao.org
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Annex 1 : Information on the Hotels
Name of the
Hotel
Location
Internet or
cyber
Price per room
In US $
Breakfast
TV
Mini
bar
Safe
Novotel
City Centre
Yes
123
Included
Yes
Yes
Yes
Central
Afya beach
resort
Kukuhill
City Centre
City Centre
yes
yes
90/70
65
Included
Included
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
City Centre
No
80
included
Yes
Yes
No
NB: Deadline for reservation:
- Novotel: 15 September 2009
- Central: 15 September 2009
- Afya beach resort: 15 September 2009
- Kukuhill: 15 September 2009
Name of
Hotel
Novotel
Central
Afia beach
resort
Kukuhill
e-mail
Website
reservations@accrahotel.net
centralhotelltd@yahoo.co.uk
www.novotel.com
Telephone
+233 (0) 21 66 75 46
+233 (0) 21 76 66 06
www.afiavillage.com +233 (0) 21 68 14 65
reservations@kukuhillhotel.com.gh
+233 (0) 21 78 25 71
Annex 2: Participants Form
No
1
2
3
4
Names:
Expected arrival :
Flight number:
Expected departure:
Flight number:
Do you need assistance for entry visa Yes
upon arrival?
No
If yes, kindly provide passport details:
Passport number:
Issuing authority:
Date and place it was issued:
Date it will expire:
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ARIAL VIEW OF ACCRA
MAP OF GHANA
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