Ring road is one of the main roads traversing central Accra, the center of it all is around the Kwame Nkruma Circle, often just referred to as “Circle.” You will hear tro-tro drivers all around Accra yelling “circle, circle, circle;” this is where they are headed. It is another busy market in Accra, but also the center of one of the business districts. Right on the edge of the market is the head quarters for Vodafone which used to be Ghana Telecom. Right along the ring road a little way down from the circle is the head quarters of a number of banks, airlines, and other commercial interests. Also of notable interest to most international visitors is the presence of a couple of very high quality internet Café’s including Busy Internet. Over looking the market area is a tall storied building that houses the big boys of Ghanaian media.
The market area has a mix of goods, unlike some of the markets it does not seem to have any particular focus, but a mix of goods. Like other markets in the city it is also a place of pick up for a number of transportation options around the city and out. Tro-tros and shared cabs can be caught to most parts of the city, be careful though about trying to get transportation here in the evening when everyone is trying to get home you may spend a lot of time waiting in line. If you want to take a nice air conditioned coach to Kumasi, or another capital in West Africa, circle market is a good place to look. A little further up ring road from circle is also the STA station which is the state run bus system and a great place to catch buses to most of the regional capitals for a decent price.
Across the street from Vodafone head quarters are some very busy and congested narrow lanes, along these streets you will find many technology vendors and cell phone shops. You can get any work done on phones here including getting a phone that you may have brought with you un-locked so you can use any sim card you want from different providers. There are also a lot of clubs, and travel agencies in the area to the North, East.
Between the market and Busy Internet, off the main ring road is an area known as Soldier Bars, this is where there are a number of little bars. I would suggest staying away from this area though because of the amount of illicit activity going on here including prostitution and child hood prostitution. There are often police and military raids of the area, and would not be good to get caught up in that.
