Francis Kokutse

In 2010, Ghana came close to being the first African team to reach the semifinals. They have set their sights on going a step further in Brazil.

Most taxis in Ghana carry some inscription on the back windows. Some are funny, others don't seem to mean anything -- not until the owners explain.

On a bus ride to Koforidua, Francis Kokutse's ears burn as his fellow passengers lie into their cellphones.

'Dem youthboy defied every order and turned a senator', says a Cameroonian reggae song that captures the country's rapture with Obama.

There's no point working up a sweat about African Time in Accra, says Francis Kokutse.

Illegal logging, which is decimating the forests of Ghana, has been getting worse as global demand for timber grows.

''Give it to God.'' These are the words inscribed on the front of the huge truck that goods transporter David Agbalanyo drives between Ghana and Burkina Faso. Agbalanyo has indeed been giving -- to officials who abuse their God-like power over those who wish to pass on the roads that link the two countries.

Environmental groups have for several years accused mining companies in Ghana of destroying the environment. In a strange twist of events, it now seems that farmers have turned to illegal mining as a result of the devastation of the pollution caused by mining activities. Ghana's ranking among gold-producing countries by volume improved from 11th in 2005 to 10th in 2006.

After almost a decade of poor cocoa production during the 1980s, the Ghanaian government is upbeat about the subsequent growth in output of the product that is the country's main export, providing more than 60% of foreign earnings. Swollen-shoot disease remains a headache, though.