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HOW TO Guide
How To with practicalities
WELCOME TO GHANA !
PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR EXPATRIATES
DAILY LIFE Languages Taxis Trotro’s Water Toiletries Clothing Embassies in Accra Public Holidays Photo processing Precious minerals
More subjects will be added Should you have or think of information or subjects
DAILY LIFE Languages of Ghana Taxis Fares: the cost of a taxi is reasonable but make sure to negotiate the price before you get in. The issue is traffic. Fare for short hops is GHS 4.00/5.00 and go up to with distance, expected time of travel and nighttime. When a driver and car give you an excellent feeling, ask where is his residence or usual area of work and if suitable, take his name and number. It will be handy as well should few taxis pass by your place of residence. Hotels have their recommended taxis drivers but they always overcharge, although their cars probably are nicer. All taxis may be rented by the hour, half day or full day and for out of town one-ways or round trips. For the rare ones with air-cons, when negotiating an out-of-town trip, negotiate on the base that you will pay the gas on top of the fare. 2016: both Taxify and Uber have launched in Ghana. Taxify started in September and rates for clients are GHS 1.7 start, GHS 0.81 per km, GHS 0.19 per min, with a Taxify commissions are 15%. Taxify claims that with their model, drivers earn on average 13.3% more per trip than with competing app which charges 25% to drivers. Uber has not communicated with us. See the "How To with security (with a taxi or in a car)" page. Trotro’s Should your budget be low, it will suffer from repeated taxis rides which will represent a sizable cost if you have to go around a lot. For short distances, you may want to acquire a bicycle – great solution to go around your neighborhood – but for longer distances, trotro’s are the cheapest way to go around. Savings and seeing how most locals go around will however be the only benefits. Often hot, packed, loud, in fairly bad condition, stopping frequently, etc.: that is trotro! So be patient and positive. Try to avoid the large trotro stations at the beginning/end of the routes. For safety concerns, only trotro’s within the city should be used and for convenience. - Ring Road, with an inconvenient break at Nkrumah Circle - Nkrumah Circle to Accra Mall and further north, via Ako Adjei Interchange and Liberation Road - Accra Central to Accra Mall and further, along Independence Avenue and Liberation Road - South Osu, along Oxford Street then either Cantonments to 37 (intersection near 37 Military Hospital and Max Mart) or Nkrumah Circle (shared taxis ply this latter route).
When unsure of the destination, ask the driver’s assistant what it is or simply give yours. Do not hesitate to ask information to people standing at bus stops and passengers. A trotro is certainly the place where you will meet the nicest Ghanaians, but on the other hand, beware of pickpockets - see our "Security alerts and advisories" page.
Water Don’t drink water from the tap. You can purchase bottled water from almost any shop. Good bottled water are Voltic and Aqua-In. Price for a 1.5 liter bottle will vary from GHS 1.00+ at a supermarket to over GHS 1.50 at a small street shop. The best is to buy boxes found at many streetside shops. Voltic comes in 1.5LT, 750 and 500ml. Ensure that the boxes you get are or have not been exposed to sun.
Considering the heat in Accra and should you not spend most of your time in air-conditioning, you will drink a lot and bottle water will end up costly. With a 1 to 6 price ratio, chilled pure water sachets can be bought from shops and hawkers on the streets nearly everywhere. The pure water sachets have undergone a filtration treatment and are produced in a heat sealed sachet. Sachet water can be bought in bags of twenty to have at home. Buy only good brands such as Cool (made by Voltic) and Yes. The problem around town is always to find a garbage to throw the bag away. Should you drink it on the spot, sellers usually have a trash bin below the cooler they keep water sachets in.
Don’t buy water called “ice water” which is just chilled tap water in a tied plastic bag and whether you buy bottles or water sachets, try to ensure that they have not been stored in the sun all day.
Toiletries Toiletries can be found but bring your own unless you are ready to switch brands. If you are black, you can find basic (Dark and Loverly, Soft Sheen Carson) hair care and beauty products. But if you are Caucasian, you will find imported toiletries items only in the big “supermarkets” such as Koala, Max Mart, Marina Mall or Shoprite but the selection will probably lower than what you are used to and prices higher.
Clothing It is illegal to wear original military or camouflage clothing.
OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION
Embassies in Accra You can access a list of all diplomatic representations in Accra. Remember that numbers have changed and that the prefix for Accra is 0302 instead of 021. 2017 Public Holidays in Ghana March 6: Independence Day (observed on March 7) April 14: Good Friday April 17: Easter Monday May 1: Labor Day May 25: African Unity Day July 1: Republic Day (should be observed on Friday June 30)
September 1 (date to be confirmed): Eid al Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) December 1: Farmer's Day December 25: Christmas Day December 26: Boxing Day
Flight information You may obtain flight information from § tel.: 0302 776 171 § Kotoka International Airport’s website § the website of the concerned airline. To access flight schedules and various travel services, visit our Travel Section launched in summer 2015. Translations Photo printing There are several photo laboratories in the city of Accra well equipped to give you high quality photo prints of your memories of Ghana. They have a good reputation for handling both professional photos and travel snapshots. The most popular in Accra include Sharpnet in Osu (50m from Danquah Circle on Ring Road going east - also an Internet cafe), Flash Photos at Danquah Circle (Osu/Ring Road, next to the Chinese fastfood), Photo Club at Marina Mall and Osu (30m after turning left at the second junction after Papayes, down Oxford Street, before Lara Mart Supermarket), Photo Lab (close to Papaye fast food in Oxford Street in Osu) and Modern Photos near the Nkrumah Circle.
PHOTOGRAPHY RESTRICTIONS: photography of sensitive installations, including military sites, government buildings, and Accra's International Airport, is prohibited. Permission should also be obtained before taking photographs of anyone in uniform (police officers and military officers, for example). In some instances, film and cameras have been confiscated.
Precious minerals The Government of Ghana maintains strict regulations on the import and export of gold, diamonds, and other precious natural resources. Only agents licensed by the Precious Metals and Mining Commission may handle import-export transactions of these natural resources. Any transaction lacking this Commission's endorsement may be illegal and/or fraudulent. Attempts to evade regulations are punishable by prison terms. Your contributions will be appreciated by everyone. Please write us at feedback@accraexpat.com The above information was exact at time of publishing. |
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