Driving in Accra is possible, common, and demanding. Traffic is dense, lane discipline is aspirational, and a great deal of communication happens through horns and hand signals that you have to learn by watching.
Your licence
Driving on a foreign licence
You may generally drive on a valid foreign licence or an International Driving Permit for up to 12 months after arrival. After that you need a Ghanaian licence.
Carry the original, not a photocopy.
Converting a foreign licence
The DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority) converts foreign licences.
Bring:
- Your foreign licence, and often an authentication or verification from the issuing authority
- Your Ghana Card
- Passport photographs
- The fee
Depending on the licence and the country, you may still sit a test.
Getting a Ghanaian licence from scratch
- Enrol at an accredited driving school. This is required, not optional.
- Complete the theory and practical training.
- Register with the DVLA and provide biometrics.
- Take the theory test, then the practical.
- Collect your licence.
Minimum age is 18. A licence is valid for 5 years.
Go through the DVLA properly
Ghana has a long-standing problem with “goro boys” — unofficial fixers around DVLA and other offices offering to speed things up. A licence obtained without the tests is not a licence; it is a document that will fail verification and may leave you uninsured after a crash. Use the official process.
The paperwork your car needs
- Roadworthy certificate, from the DVLA. Valid 12 months for a private vehicle, 6 months for a commercial one.
- Insurance. Third-party cover is the legal minimum. The sticker goes on the windscreen and the police check it.
- Registration, with the DVLA.
Keep all three current and in the car. Police checkpoints are routine, and this is what they ask for.
Buying a car
New, from a dealer, with a warranty and a price to match.
Used locally — the largest market. Inspect thoroughly, verify the documents match the vehicle, and confirm there is no outstanding finance. Have a mechanic you trust look at it before you pay.
Imported used — very common, particularly from North America and Europe. Import duty, VAT and levies apply and are calculated on an assessed value rather than what you paid. Get a clearing agent to quote the total landed cost before you buy, because the duty frequently exceeds expectations.
Popular models in Accra are popular for a reason: Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia parts and mechanics are everywhere. Something unusual will be expensive to keep on the road.
What driving here is actually like
Traffic is severe. Roughly 6:30am to 9:30am inbound and 4pm to 7:30pm outbound. Spintex, the Adenta corridor and the Kasoa road are worst.
Lane markings are advisory. Vehicles will occupy whatever space exists. Expect to be overtaken on both sides.
Trotros stop anywhere, without warning, wherever a passenger raises a hand. Leave room.
Okadas filter through everything. Check mirrors and blind spots constantly before changing position.
Hawkers work the traffic, walking between stopped lanes selling water, plantain chips, phone chargers and towels. Watch for them when traffic moves.
Potholes and open drains. Both are real hazards, and both are worse in the rain when you cannot see them.
Flooding. Do not drive through moving water. Accra floods, drain covers go missing, and the depth is not visible. — Water in Accra
Night driving outside the city is best avoided. Unlit roads, unlit vehicles, and animals.
Police checkpoints
Routine and normal. Slow down, stop if signalled, be polite, and have your licence, insurance and roadworthy ready.
If you are asked for money, you are entitled to ask for the offence, the official fine and a receipt. Ghana has an active anti-corruption discourse and paying is not expected of you. Use your judgement about the situation you are in.
Parking
Central Accra parking is scarce and often informal — someone will guide you into a space and expect a small payment for watching the car. This is normal.
Motorcycles are frequently parked on pavements. This is widespread and, as with much of Accra’s traffic culture, more tolerated than authorised.
Fuel
Filling stations are everywhere and mostly attended — you stay in the car.
- Watch the pump being zeroed before it starts
- Pay by MoMo, card or cash
- Fuel prices are deregulated and move frequently
Alternatives
For many people in Accra, not owning a car is the better answer. Between trotro, Bolt, Uber and Yango, most journeys are covered without insurance, maintenance, fuel, parking or the daily grind of the traffic.