A valid passport is required for all visits to Ghana. Ghanaian diplomatic missions abroad will assist in issuing individual as well as group visas where necessary.

Visitors should have current medical certificates showing vaccination against yellow fever. Malaria is also prevalent in certain parts of the country at certain times of the year. You are advised to consult your doctor well in advance of your visit to begin anti-malarial treatment.

Good medical facilities are available in the major towns and cities but are limited elsewhere. Visitors are advised to take along any drugs they regularly require. Doctors and hospitals often require immediate cash payment for health care services. Foreign medical insurance is not always valid or accepted in Ghana.

Banks and Foreign Exchange Bureaux are available at the airport and in all major towns. Credit cards and Travellers cheques are accepted, although the rate of exchange may be slightly lower than for a cash transaction.

Foreign banks in Ghana include the Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered, Merchant Bank, Metropolitan and Allied Bank, and Ecobank.

The most widely accepted credit cards are American Express, Diner and Visa. Your card may be used for payment at nearly airline offices, leading hotels and major supermarkets. Banking hours is from Monday –Thursday 0830-1400, and Friday 0830-1500.

The currency of Ghana is the Cedi. Banks and Foreign Exchange Bureaux display current exchange rates daily.

Modern and efficient mail, telex, telephone, fax, and Internet facilities are available in Accra and most regional capitals. 24-hour public telephone services are available with the use of a phone card sold at Ghana Telecom branches and retail centres across the country.

Overseas telephone calls from Ghana are by dialling 00 followed by the country and city codes. The international code for Ghana is 233.

Postal services are available in all the regions of the country. Ghana Post, DHL and FedEx offer major postal services.

With so many sights, Ghana is a photographer’s paradise. Camera Films are available in major towns. However, photographing of Kotoka International Airport and traditional religious temples is prohibited. Always seek permission before you take pictures of shrines or sacred places. In some areas, please do not photograph local people without their expressed consent.

You are also prohibited from photographing security installation such as military or police barracks, border installations, airport installations, broadcasting and power installations and the castle (State House/Osu).

As in other countries, some areas are not considered safe, particularly after darkness falls. Please be mindful of this, and ask for advice as much as possible.

Petty crimes such as pick pocketing takes place in some areas. Please be very watchful of your possessions. Never carry more money than you need.

Penalties for possession, use or trafficking in illegal drugs are strict. Convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and fines.

Travelling in the tropics requires light, comfortable clothing. For daytime wear, we recommend cotton shirts, shorts, or a sarong. Sun hats, glasses and a high factor lotion are essential, as the sun can prove deceptively strong.

1. If you are on an official or business visit and will be attending meetings, receptions and parties, you will have to be appropriately dressed. For any such occasion dress in a suit as you would wear in Europe or America.
2. If you are there just for pleasure, it is acceptable to dress informal; you could wear shirts and trousers or slacks and T-shirts.
3. It is important however not to overdo the informality by wearing for example short jeans and bathroom sandals to the ministries, hotels, or discos or be seen on the streets or in the villages in swimsuits, or see through apparel. This is considered offensive by local people, as it does not represent the Ghanaian notion of proper dressing.
4. Nudity in public is considered an affront. Although it is not expressly forbidden to go nude on the beaches, it is not usual practice to see people running around or swimming naked.
5. If you must go nude on the beach, do so discreetly and with restraint. This means that you could do so when you are sure that you and your friends are on your own. Ghanaians have a natural attitude towards nudity and will have nothing against those who show restraint and discretion.
6. Some precaution is noteworthy for those who wish to suntan while in Ghana, particularly those who have not exposed their bodies to heat for sometime. The sun can be pretty hot, particularly in the afternoons; thus careful exposure can result in serious skin burns.
7. A practical way of reducing the sun’s impact while sun bathing is to wear a big straw hat, a kind of a sombre which provides enough shade to prevent the suns heat. These are easily available in the market. Appropriate suntan lotion could be used.

Fresh fruits and vegetables abound in Ghana and are readily available in the market. Fruits such as mangoes, guava, custard apples which do not require peeling before eating should advisedly be washed before they are eaten. There’s the possibility that some of these may have been treated with insecticides.

Pipe-borne water in this country is normally safe for drinking, but you are advised to boil all water fetched from wells or rivers before drinking.

Ghanaians are conservative people and respect traditional courtesies. Handshakes, using the right hand only are the common greeting. Visitors to remote villages or shrines should visit the local elder, taking a small gift such as a bottle of local schnapps.

Ghana Tourist Board

Head Office

P. O. Box 3106

Tesano, Accra

Tel: (233) (21) 222153/231779/767323 767324/767325

Fax: (233) (21) 231779

E-mail: GTB@africaonline.com.gh

Ghana Tourist Board

Greater Accra Office

Regional Administration Block

Accra

Tel: (233) (21) 228711

Ghana Tourism Information in the United States

Ghana Consulate

19 East 47^th street

New York NY 10017

212-832-1300

Ghana Embassy

3512 International Dr. NW