A look at the faces of Ghana

A chocolate seller in the streets of the capital, Accra. For the people of Ghana, chocolate is not just a product — it is a cultural asset. The government even instituted a National Chocolate Day in 2005.

President Nana Akufo-Addo was inaugurated in January 2017 (picture). Since then, the politician has been working to improve the situation in the country. In the meantime, he is also known outside the country for his program to make Ghana independent of development aid and focus on trade instead.

Noella Wiyaala is called "the young lioness of Africa" by her fans. Here, Wiyaala is performing at the All Africa Music Awards in Accra. The singer and songwriter makes Afropop and often combines English with Sissala and Waale, two Ghanaian languages. In addition to music, she advocates for the rights of women and children.

Almost 2.4 million people live in Accra, the largest city in Ghana. As the capital, it is the administrative and economic center of the country. The average maximum temperature is 30.3 degrees Celsius, and there are 54 rainy days a year. Accra has international aspirations and has formed strategic partnerships with the US cities of Chicago and Washington, DC.

At Greenfields Farm in Ekumfi, women harvest pineapples. The young company founder, Daniel Kwarteng, founded his pineapple farm on about 650 hectares (1,600 acres). With its subsidized "One District, One Factory" program, the government has attempted to ensure that there is a prospering company in every district of Ghana.

Researchers at the Entomologist Research Centre in Obuasi are working with mosquitoes to develop insecticides to combat malaria more effectively. Over the past decade, Ghana has reduced the number of malaria deaths by three-quarters, yet it remains the most common disease among children under the age of 5.

Tomatoes are a staple in Ghana, often just plain or as a salad with onions. The Agbogbloshie market is the place to buy them in Accra. The demand for tomatoes is so high that Ghana used to import about 75,000 tons yearly. However, the government intends to end imports by the end of 2019 and grow enough tomatoes domestically.

She runs the 100-, 200- and 800-meter races. She jumps high and far — as here, at the Commonwealth Games in April 2018 in Australia's Carrara Stadium. Elizabeth Dadzie is one of the most successful athletes in Ghana. She represented her country at the Commonwealth Games and won two medals at the African Games. The Olympics, however, are still a dream for now.

One of the best hours in the life of professional footballer Kevin-Prince Boateng: In May 2018, the midfielder and his team, Eintracht Frankfurt, celebrated the winning of the German football championship. Boateng, who was born in Berlin to a Ghanaian father, now kicks in Barcelona.

One finds it on the national flag, one finds it also on the Independence Arch monument in the capital: The black star is a reminder of March 6, 1957, when Ghana became the first country in Africa to win independence from Britain. "Freedom and Justice" is written on the gate.

The world community functioned better when Kofi Annan was secretary-general of the United Nations from December 1997 until the end of 2006. This wasn't just Annan's doing, of course, but his contribution was significant. Annan was famous around the world for his calm diplomacy. When he died on August 18, 2018, at the age of 80, the entire country mourned one of Ghana's most famous sons.

This is certainly one of the most beautiful women in Ghana — perhaps Akpene Diata Hoggar from the city of Tefle is even one of the most beautiful women in the world. After all, she represented Ghana in the Miss Universe selection in Bangkok in December 2018. (In the end a woman from the Philippines won the title). Hoggar holds a degree in management information systems and works as a consultant.

Ghana's abundant cultural life shines through in music and the visual arts. Accra is home to the Dei Centre art gallery, which shows contemporary art from West Africa. And sometimes the colors of Ghana are golden on the canvas, as in this picture by Ablade Glover. The Dei Centre is named after the entrepreneur Seth Dei, a patron of his country's art.

Albert Oppong, 30, comes from Dormaa-Ahenkro. Although he went to school and has an education, Oppong has not been able to find a job for five years. Even though Ghana's economy is one of the fastest growing in the world, but many people cannot make a living from their work.

Many Ghanaians who cannot find productive work seek more sustainable conditions abroad. They sell their property, go into debt and go on the risky road with a thick bundle of Cedi (the national currency: 1 Cedi is €0.16/$0.19). Many attempt to travel to Europe via the deadly Mediterranean route.

People who leave their country lose a piece of themselves. Wherever they go, the laughter, the joy, the sun, the air will be different than in Accra. Here, men in traditional dress dance on a tour of the Christiansborg complex, where Danish colonists kept enslaved people in the 17th century. For all of Europe's claims to superiority, history tells a different story.