Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things that may interest today's African girl.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pépinière, Titi. This week's subjects: The Future Is Fashion: 2026 Trends to expect in West Africa , Will the beard continue through 2026? Ministry of Sick Care, (M.O.S.C), and The Venue

The Future Is Fashion: 2026 Trends to expect in West Africa. If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that West Africa is no longer “catching up” to global fashion — we’re setting the pace. From Accra to Lagos, Abidjan to Dakar, the region is buzzing with bold creatives, fearless dressers, and a new wave of Afro-luxury that’s ready to take over 2026. So buckle up, fashionistas — here are the trends that will be shaping our wardrobes in the year ahead. Neo-Ankara: The Rise of Tech-Infused Traditional Prints. 2026 is the year Ankara evolves — again. Think glow-infused fabrics, reflective details for nightlife, weather-adaptive cotton blends, and digital patterns inspired by AI art. Designers are merging tradition with tech to create prints that feel futuristic yet undeniably African. Expect thermo-reactive motifs, 3D-embroidered patterns, and Ankara suits reimagined for corporate slay queens and kings. The Return of Tailored Power Dressing: Sharp shoulders. Cinched waists. Sculpted silhouettes. Power dressing is back — but softer, sleeker, and more Afro-centric. In 2026, West African tailoring will focus on fluid suits, tone-on-tone styling, minimalist metallic accents, and gender-neutral structured pieces. Corporate wardrobes will lean into cool neutrals like clay, sand, kola-nut brown, and millet gold. Afro-Resort Wear Every Day: With travel culture exploding, resort wear is no longer just for holidays. Get ready for linen sets, crochet dresses, flowy kaftans, and raffia accessories as everyday staples. Designers are embracing breezy, breathable fabrics perfect for West African heat — but serving effortless elegance. Statement Accessories: Bigger, Bolder, Brighter 2026 accessories in West Africa are loud and unapologetic: Oversized artisan jewelry Hand-carved wooden clutches Beaded crowns inspired by royalty Geometric sunglasses Stacked anklets It’s the year of maximalist accessorizing, driven by a renewed love for craftsmanship and heritage.

Will the beard continue through 2026? Out of nowhere all men started to grow beards, maybe it is because of that footballer, and indeed some look like goats that have fleas, constantly scratching and pulling, and would be better off shaving. Anyway, let them get a taste of what we women are suffering to look the part. And I am glad that I did not invest my money in a shaving blade factory like Gilette (turnover 89 Billion $) and Schick, they must be financially suffering and selling hair growth products now. And remember, if you shave (blog nr 166, 22nd August, 2025), there are no special blades for females, it's just the same stuff in a different packaging, but at a higher price. So just buy the cheaper male blade. Or borrow hubbie's if he still has some laying around.

Ministry of Sick Care, (M.O.S.C) P. O. Box M 44 Sekou Toure Avenue, North Ridge, Accra. Kofi Asmah's recent article in MyJoyOnline is worth reading. https://www.myjoyonline.com/kofi-asmah-the-stethoscope-that-kills/ And I have some observations. Health care in Ghana is rather sick care, few care about your health, but everybody is ready to take your money when you are sick. This sick care is very lucrative, to the extent that the Ministry of Health (that's the official name) had to introduce a minimum distance of 400 meter between pharmacies, if not there would be 10 pharmacies in every street. And private hospitals are also springing up like mushrooms, presently there are about 430 in and around Accra. The often played trick is to admit you, take your blood and urine, put you on the drip, release you after 2 days and charge 500 for this, without any conclusion. If you need intravenous antibiotics for a week they’ll rather take you in, at a good expense, than suggest that you come daily for 1 hour, which would save you about 800 GHC or more, but give them a similar reduced income. To observe you, they say. But please observe the bill. And we play helpless, doctor says.... and we follow (and pay) without asking any questions. It is worth reading up on living healthy and try to stay away from these blood sucking sick care practitioners who see you as a source of income rather than someone who needs help on a little budget. In the beginning all you read may sound like akadablabladabakra, (try to pronounce) but after some time you will become familiar with the terms used. And start to live more healthy, be sick less often, feel better, perform better, look better and save money.

The Venue Adjiringanor, East Legon, Accra. My guest wanted to eat fresh lobster, but that is not so easy these days, the Chinese are buying everything before it gets to us. But after a couple of phone calls we settled on the Venue, yes, they had fresh lobsters. The Venue is a nice place, feels cozy and homely. There's a huge bar and an enormous assortment of drinks, and the tables are set such that after your cocktail or whatever you can have a quiet undisturbed discussion at a table with your partner for the evening. Service is smooth. The menu has a bit of everything, French, Italian, Dutch, Ghanaian, you'll find something to suit your like. Which in our case was fresh lobsters. Which were not fresh. Maybe the one we spoke to on the phone had understood that we wanted to know if their lobsters were not spoilt so she confirmed that they were fresh? Same thing often goes for eggs, even after 30 days they are still called fresh. And if you really want fresh lobster? I go to a busy Chinese restaurant like Royal Regal in Osu where they have a lot of turnover so they regularly buy fresh lobster and serve.

Lydia...

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