An African Internship Adventure

This is the story of how an adventurous undergraduate student braved the pandemic and countless unknowns in pursuit of personal growth through global immersion. In this feature, BIZBeat follows Angelina Low’s journey into the heart of Africa, where she discovered the nation of Ghana for herself.

Q: What prompted you to do an internship in Africa?

Due to the pandemic, my student exchange programme to Turkey was cancelled. Dissatisfied at the thought of graduating without global exposure, I was determined to secure an overseas internship or volunteering opportunity.

As to why Africa, I often watch documentaries, and always wonder about the media portrayal of Africa as a poverty-stricken, disease-ridden, and war-torn continent. As a business student, I often hear that Africa is a rapidly growing economy. All these varied perspectives of one place drove me to find out the answers for myself.

Q: How did you secure this internship stint?

In December 2021, I took part in the e-STEER Sub-Saharan Africa programme organised by the NUS Global Relations Office. The programme coordinators invited the three Enterprise Singapore directors stationed in West Africa, East Africa, and South Africa to share their work and the vast business opportunities present in the region. Whilst mindful that Africa may not be the safest option for an internship, seeing that all three directors are female emboldened me. I reached out to Jean Ng, the Director for West Africa, through LinkedIn, and she put me in touch with Fareast Mercantile in Ghana. The rest was history. It was actually my first time using LinkedIn to reach out to someone, and bingo!

Q: What were the high points of your experience?

It was my first time living in a country experiencing soaring inflation. Ghana’s national currency, the Ghanaian Cedi, is an unpredictable one. When I arrived in Ghana in mid-July, the exchange rate was 1 SGD to 5.75 Cedis. By mid-November, the currency devalued to 1 SGD to 10.50 Cedis.

As I was in a distribution company, this sharp devaluation affected us significantly. A large portion of the company’s product portfolio comprises imported goods purchased in US dollars. As such, we had to revise the local prices several times.

Seeing the prices of consumer goods in the supermarkets almost double within the few months I was there was a shocking experience, to say the least. I could not imagine how the locals were grappling with the situation. Ghana imports almost all consumer products, and inflation makes most products equally, if not more expensive than what we see on the shelves in Singapore.

Just a few days before I returned to Singapore, the Cedi suddenly appreciated till 1 SGD to 6.60 Cedis. To make matters worse, the fintech service, Wise, which I had been using throughout my stay, decided to suspend their services for the Cedi, which led to further inconveniences.

I had a lot of fun with my colleagues at Fareast Mercantile, and was given the freedom to choose which departments to understudy. My most memorable experiences were the field visits to Makola Market with the sales team, where they would check in with their customers.

Makola is unlike any market that I have seen in Southeast Asia. It is vibrant, teeming with activities, and is so huge that you can find anything under the sun there. Outside of work, my colleagues would share their culture openly with me, always inviting me to celebrations, meals, and road trips together.

There are not a lot of recreational activities available in Ghana apart from sports, beaches, and some nature sites.

Eventually, I decided to do something meaningful during my weekends, and so I joined the Decathlon Ghana Ballet Club as a guest instructor. At the time, Decathlon was selling ballet leotards and shoes at their stores but realised there weren’t many ballet schools offering lessons. Eventually, a group of instructors came together to offer classes, and I offered to conduct lessons without accepting fees. I was deeply moved by the passion and enthusiasm the Ghanaian children possessed despite the lack of access to resources, so I decided to do my part for them. Before my internship ended, I organised a fundraiser to make barres and mirrors for the club and I am very thankful for the support from my friends. Through the four-month journey with the club, I have taught over 40 children who bring great joy to my heart.

How have the experiences from this stint changed you, and how has it shaped your personal dreams and aspirations?

This stint made me realise how blessed I am to be raised in Singapore. We often fuss over trivial first-world issues like an extended wait for the train, when people in Ghana do not even get to enjoy proper public transport services.

The five months spent in Ghana has grown my patience and tolerance tremendously, for the sheer fact that life there is far less predictable and convenient than in Singapore. You never know when you will experience an electricity outage, water cut, weak telecommunications network, heavy traffic, poor roads—the list goes on. I have learned to appreciate every day – even the bad ones. Only when I can let go of my expectations and embrace the challenges thrown at me, is when life becomes thrilling, meaningful, and filled with learning opportunities.

This internship has also strengthened my desire to pursue a career with international mobility. The world is my oyster. As a soon-to-be fresh graduate, I believe that putting myself in uncomfortable situations like working overseas will help me develop the resilience and cultural literacy necessary to thrive in a VUCA world.  On a personal note, it has also been deeply rewarding.

I hope that my experience will inspire more Singapore undergraduates, especially females, to venture into Africa!