All guides

73 guides to living in Accra, in the order you are likely to need them.

Moving to Accra

Guides for the first weeks - visas, the Ghana Card, a place to sleep and a phone number that works.

  1. How to move to Accra
    1. Your first week checklist
    2. Visiting Accra
    3. Weather and seasons
  2. Getting a visa
    1. Residence permits
    2. Work permits
    3. The Right of Abode
    4. Ghanaian citizenship
  3. Getting a Ghana Card
    1. Your digital address
    2. SIM cards and internet

Housing in Accra

Finding a place, surviving the rent advance, checking a tenancy agreement and not buying land twice.

  1. How to find a place to live
    1. Where to live in Accra
    2. Rent advance calculator
    3. Housing and land scams
  2. The rent advance
    1. Your tenancy agreement
    2. Tenancy agreement template
    3. Rent advance receipt
  3. Buying land in Ghana

Utilities and daily life

Electricity, water, waste and the small infrastructure of an Accra household.

  1. Electricity and dumsor
  2. Water in Accra
  3. Internet and SIM cards
  4. Waste collection

Money in Ghana

Mobile money, bank accounts, PAYE, SSNIT and what a month in Accra actually costs.

  1. Cost of living in Accra
    1. Cost of living calculator
  2. Mobile money
    1. Opening a bank account
    2. Sending money to Ghana
  3. Income tax and PAYE
    1. Salary calculator
    2. VAT and the levies
    3. VAT calculator
  4. SSNIT and pensions

Working in Ghana

Finding a job, reading a Ghanaian contract, knowing your rights under the Labour Act and going freelance.

  1. How to find a job in Accra
    1. Employment contract checklist
  2. Your rights as an employee
    1. Resignation letter template
  3. Freelancing in Ghana
    1. Registering a business

Health and healthcare

The NHIS, private insurance, where to go when you are sick and how to stay ahead of malaria.

  1. NHIS and health insurance
  2. Finding a doctor
    1. Hospitals and clinics in Accra
    2. Specialists
    3. Dentists and eye care
  3. Staying well
    1. Malaria and staying healthy
    2. Pharmacies and medicines
    3. Mental health
  4. Having a baby in Accra

Getting around Accra

Trotros, ride-hailing, okada and the DVLA.

  1. How to get around Accra
    1. Understanding trotro routes
  2. Driving in Accra

Living in Ghana

Language, food, funerals, public holidays and the parts of daily life nobody writes down.

  1. Learning Twi and Ga
  2. What to eat in Accra
  3. Public holidays
  4. Funerals and social obligations
  5. Emergency numbers

Schools and education

How Ghanaian schooling works, from creche to university - and what it costs.

  1. Schools in Accra
    1. Creches and daycare
    2. International schools
  2. Universities in Ghana
    1. Studying here as a foreigner
  3. Learning a trade

Shopping in Accra

Markets, malls, Melcom and Instagram vendors - where Accra actually buys things, and what it should cost.

  1. Where to shop in Accra
    1. Accra's markets
    2. Online shopping
  2. Furnishing a home
    1. Importing and customs

Exploring Accra and Ghana

Beaches, history, festivals, nightlife and everywhere worth going within a weekend of the city.

  1. Things to do in Accra
    1. Accra's beaches
    2. Nightlife and live music
    3. Tour guides and tours
  2. Out of the city
    1. Cape Coast and Elmina
  3. Festivals in Ghana

Services and everyday help

Artisans, domestic help, hairdressers, vets and the professionals worth paying for.

  1. Finding a tradesperson
  2. Hiring help at home
  3. Hair, barbers and salons
  4. Gyms and sport
  5. Pets and vets
  6. Lawyers and accountants
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