7 excuses Ghanaians often give for lateness

In Ghana, there is the ‘Ghana Man Time (GMT)’ which means the late time which an event will start. It is only a few events that start on time in Ghana.

Most Ghanaians will be late to events and justify their lateness as well.

Below are some of the reasons Ghanaians give for their lateness

1. Traffic

This is the number one excuse Ghanaians give. The traffic excuse is usually given by those who live and work in the capital cities or major towns in the country. This is sometimes legitimate since the transportation systems in the country seems to be poorly planned. The other argument is that leave early if you know you will be stuck in traffic.

2. Car broke down

This excuse is not given by private car owners only. The public transport users also make similar claims when the vehicles they are commuting in breaks down.

In Ghana, there are no proper towing agencies so when your car breaks down you have to call an auto mechanic to come for the car. You must wait for the auto mechanic to come and take the car away before you leave that can take hours.

The public transport users have to get another vehicle which also takes time especially if its during rush hour.

3. Children got sick

Most parents use this excuse. Most people who are late will say their children fell ill when they were about leaving home for the event.

4. School meeting

Parents also use school meetings of their children as a reason for being late. A parent will explain that the school meeting did not start on time and they could not leave when the event had not ended.

5. Oversleeping

People who are late will sometimes say they overslept and usually blame it on the weather.

6. Dumsor

Dumsor is the Ghanaian word for the erratic power supply Ghanaians face. When people are late they sometimes blame it on dumsor. Some will say they had not ironed and therefore had to wait for their power to be restored.

7. Long queues

Ghanaians who do not have their own cars will often use long queues at the bus terminals as an excuse. There are long queues, especially during rush hour.