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.

50-year-old Abdul Sumud Shaibu shows a picture of his grandfather on his smartphone. "Look at his height," he says. "My ancestors were giants. Strong and well built." Some of his ancestors even fought against slave hunters, Shaibu says. Sometimes they won but not every time. Losing meant a lifetime of slavery.

Slave trade in West Africa flourished long before the first slaves were sold to the United States of America. By the end of the 15th century, Portuguese ships were bringing African slaves to the country. Occupied by the Europeans in the following decades and centuries, the African west coast turned into a hub for slave export.

The system was called triangular trade because major European powers brought goods such as weapons, textiles or alcohol to the West African coast, to be traded for slaves. From Africa the ships would sail to America, where the slaves were exchanged for coveted raw materials such as tea, coffee or cotton. These goods were then shipped back to Europe.

The living conditions during the journey across the Atlantic, the so-called Middle Passage, were inhumane. All the space available on the slave ships was used down to the last centimeter. The slaves were literally stacked on top of each other. They were chained and did not get enough food or water. Sick slaves were simply thrown overboard to keep infections from spreading.

In the "New World" the slaves were forced to work on cotton and sugar cane plantations. While the owners of the plantations were wealthy, the slaves remained poor. Living conditions for these slaves were harsh. Others worked in the cities as longshoremen or in the household of their owners. Many were used by the mining industry. Punishments and abuse were prevalent.

For many slaves violence was a part of their everyday life. They were whipped, had to wear shackles and were marked with branding irons. Their so-called "owner" could decide whether they were allowed to enter into a relationship. Slaves had no rights and could only hope to be released at some point. These shackles are exhibited today in a museum in the Ivory Coast.

The transatlantic slave trade reached its peak in the 18th century. West Africans accounted for about two thirds of African slaves brought to America. This map shows the coastal ports from which the ships set sail. It is not known how many Africans exactly were enslaved. Estimates point to 40 million people.

The Elector of Brandenburg, Friedrich Wilhelm, had the "Groß Friedrichsburg" colony built on today's Ghanaian coast. Ghana was called "Gold Coast" at the time of the slave trade. From there the Brandenburgers took part in the triangular trade, shipping about 30,000 slaves from 1685 on to the so-called "New World".

In Adidwan, a village in Ghana's Ashanti region, Nana Assenso visits the grave of his great-uncle Kwame Badu. His relative was named in memory of an ancestor who long ago was sold as a slave. Since then, the name has been passed on through the generations in the family. Nana Assenso's son is also called Kwame Badu.

An installation by Ghanaian artist Kwame Akoto Bamfo in the village of Nuhalenya Ada commemorates the enslaved ancestors. Although the British banned the slave trade in 1808 and this ban was confirmed by the Congress of Vienna in 1815, slavery wasn’t really abolished until around 1870. Today, the ruins of the former slave fortresses on Ghana's coast are a reminder of this era.

Ghana is spending $8 billion to revitalize and expand 1,400 km of railway track to transform how people and goods move around. One new stretch of track will even connect neighboring Burkina Faso with Ghana's ports. The government needs land to build the railway – and this means consulting with local chiefs, who have a big say over land rights.

"May our ancestors accept the refreshment we offer them. We are gathered here to address our praise," proclaims a sorcerer as he offers a tribute on a site for the western line linking Kumasi, Ghana's second biggest city, with Takoradi port. Before bulldozers can start clearing the bush, the sorcerer performs rituals ordered by the local chief to obtain approval from the ancestors.

Ghana's government is busily acquiring people's land for the new railway projects. And as earth-moving machines start razing the bush, it's necessary to include the local chiefs in negotiations. If dissatisfied, they can interrupt the work. "We have a constant mediation task, which has now become part of our job," explains Marco Casano, a supervising engineer for Takoradi-Kumsasi railway project.

With more farmers being forced to make way for large infrastructure projects, like the railway, conflicts over land are becoming more frequent. Because the government often fails to provide adequate solutions, chiefs play a vital role in settling these disputes at local level.

The rehabilitation of the abandoned Takoradi-Kumasi western line is of great importance for Ghana's mining sector. Manganese and bauxite are extracted in the area around Takoradi but the most of this is moved by road, clogging traffic with heavy trucks and destroying the road surface.

In Ghana's eastern Volta region, which borders with Togo, sub-chief Torgbe Diabo XI is carried on a palanquin on his way to lead the burial of the dead paramount chief of Fodome Traditional Area. As well as being the chief of his own village, he also has to coronate the next paramount chief in a process called 'enstoolment'. In his ordinary life, Torgbe Diabo XI works for a furniture company.

The new paramount chief of Fodome Traditional Area, Timothy Akpatsa II, swears an oath while raising the sword. The title rotates through two local royal families. The week before his public appointing, he was locked in a room to go through a training for his new leadership role.

During the chief's appointment ceremony, a peace potion is prepared and offered to those attending for serenity and protection. The cornmeal-based drink, used in many traditional rituals, is also used to seal the resolution of conflicts between neighboring communities.

The so-called 'linguists' are the chiefs spokespersons, or ambassadors. Once the new paramount chief has been fully invested with authority, the linguists come from nearby villages and line up to pay homage to the paramount chief on behalf of their own chiefs. The role of linguist is an important and respected one all over Ghana.

Towards the end of the appointment ceremony, a 'warrior' displays his magical powers through dance. In traditional times, warriors, once believed to have supernatural power, protected their community and conquered land.