Life has become unexpectedly challenging for Paul Yandoh, the Ashanti Regional Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), ever since he arrived in Accra. Yandoh traveled to the capital to stand in solidarity with the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard “Wontumi” Antwi-Boasiako, who was recently arrested and detained by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) on undisclosed charges. Instead of focusing on party business and the legal battle surrounding Wontumi’s detention, Yandoh has found himself struggling with Accra’s day-to-day realities—most notably, its food scene.
In a candid video clip that has since gone viral on social media, Yandoh lamented that his time in Accra “had not been great” because he could not find any of his favorite meals. “I haven’t even seen a fufu joint since I came,” he complained, his tone equal parts amused and exasperated. “All I see is waakye.” For Yandoh, who hails from Kumasi—where fufu is a daily staple—the predominance of waakye stalls in Accra has been a bitter pill to swallow.
Fufu, a starchy paste typically served with light soup, groundnut soup, or palm nut soup, is synonymous with the Ashanti region’s culinary identity. By contrast, waakye—a rice and beans dish cooked in sorghum leaves, often accompanied by gari, spaghetti, and shito—rules the street-food scene in Ghana’s capital. According to Yandoh, every street corner in Accra seems to offer waakye, but not a single vendor sells fufu. “I miss the taste of home,” he confessed, glancing around the bustling marketplace behind him. “Accra is beautiful, but I never imagined I’d go days without fufu.”
Beyond his gastronomical grievances, Yandoh’s video also sheds light on the broader tension within the NPP: Wontumi’s unexpected arrest has left many party supporters in Ashanti Region feeling anxious and disenfranchised. As Yandoh navigates unfamiliar routines—rushing from meetings at EOCO headquarters to impromptu media interviews—he can’t help but feel misplaced. “I came here to support my chairman,” he said. “But now I wake up thinking about where I’ll find something other than waakye to eat.”
Local followers of Yandoh’s plight have taken to social media to offer sympathy, jokingly promising to courier fufu from Kumasi to Accra. Others have used the episode to poke fun at the country’s divergent food cultures, reminding Ghanaians that regional preferences often extend far beyond politics. Still, for Yandoh, the experience is no laughing matter: it’s a daily reminder of how deeply ingrained local customs—culinary or otherwise—shape one’s sense of belonging. Until he secures a reliable fufu supplier in Accra, Paul Yandoh’s solidarity mission will continue to be defined as much by his quest for comfort food as by the legal ordeal faced by Wontumi.
Source:
https://yen.com.gh/people/284653-npps-paul-yandoh-stuck-accra-laments-cost-living/