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Explore Ghana

Practical tips

Best time

The best window is November to March, avoiding the humidity and torrential rains of the wet season — though the dry Harmattan wind can reduce visibility.

Languages

English is the official language. Twi (Akan) is the most widely spoken local language and the backbone of commerce; Ewe and Ga are also common depending on the region. See the phrasebook →

Etiquette

Greetings matter: greet warmly before getting to business. Always use your right hand to give, pay or eat — the left is traditionally considered unclean. Handshakes are warm and frequent, sometimes ending with a finger snap. Dress modestly away from tourist settings.

What to see & culture

Places

The Cape Coast and Elmina castles, tied to the history of the transatlantic slave trade; Kakum National Park, with its forest canopy walkway; Mole National Park, with elephants at very accessible prices; and Independence Square in Accra.

Culture

Ghanaian identity is tied to the legacy of Kwame Nkrumah, the pan-Africanist independence leader. Evergreen touchstones: highlife music and kente cloth, hand-woven with meaning-rich patterns.

Food

Ghana jollof (in fierce rivalry with Nigeria), waakye (seasoned rice and beans), fufu with light soup and kelewele (spiced fried plantain) are iconic.

Food

Dishes travellers picked in the Taste Cup. It is a game, it says what people preferred, not what is most authentic.

Waakye

Prato de arroz e feijão cozidos juntos e servido com diferentes acompanhamentos.

Taste

Discovery Cups

Vote on the corridor's traditional dishes. It is a game, not verified information.

Play
Play the Taste Cup

Sending money Ghana

Sending money to Ghana is part of diaspora life. The usual options: bank transfer (slower and sometimes with hidden FX margins), specialist apps like Wise, Remitly and WorldRemit (fast and transparent on fees), and cash pickup via Western Union or MoneyGram. In Ghana, mobile money (MTN MoMo) is widely used — money can land straight in the phone wallet — or via cash pickup in cedis (GHS). Always compare the total cost — fee plus exchange-rate margin — and the speed before sending. Verde Wave never handles money; we just point you to the tools.

Sending boxes / cargo Ghana

Sending boxes, barrels or “Ghana Must-Go bags” to Ghana is a deep-rooted diaspora tradition — food, clothes, electronics and gifts for family. Shipping is almost always by sea (cheaper but slow — typically several weeks to a couple of months), with an air option (faster, pricier) for urgent items. The essentials: make a packing list with values for customs, clearly identify sender and recipient with a local contact, and check import duties — used personal effects may have allowances, but new or bulk goods are taxed. For Ghana, barrels and “Ghana Must-Go bags” are standard; check duties and use door-to-door services that handle clearance in Tema/Accra. Declare the contents honestly, avoid prohibited or poorly protected perishable items, and keep your receipts. Compare freight forwarders on reputation and insurance, not just price.

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Verde Wave · Living Book

More about Ghana

Chapters built from research with cited sources. Each block says what it is and where it came from; what we do not yet know is stated just as plainly.

Culture

Factos oficiais

  • Atividades da Comissão Nacional de Cultura

    A NCC organiza programas de rádio sobre costumes e tradições relevantes do povo; programas de abordagem escolar; oficinas de treinamento; shows de desenvolvimento de talentos e habilidades; concursos de debate e competição de drama estudantil; organiza o Festival Nacional de Artes e Cultura; colabora com outras instituições culturais para promover cultura localmente e no exterior; celebrações do Dia de Consciência Cultural; promove o consumo de produtos Made-in-Ghana através da mídia.This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

Contexto e história

  • Ghana's festivals and cultural celebrations

    Among the Akan, the main indigenous celebration is odwira, a harvest rite, in which new yams are presented to the chief and eaten at public and domestic feasts. The Ga people celebrate homowo, another harvest festival, marked by the eating of kpekpele, made from ground maize and palm oil. Popular drinks include palm wine, made from the fermented sap of the oil palm, and homemade corn beer. Bottled European beer is widely consumed. Imported gin and whisky have important ceremonial uses as libations for royal and family ancestors.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Paragliding Festival at Easter

    An annual paragliding festival is held during Easter (usually in April).www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 18 Aug 2026

  • Highlife

    origem e significado na música ganense: Highlife é o gênero ganense atual mais conhecido. Durante o período da Costa de Ouro, houve períodos de música com a invenção da música pop ganense em meados do século vinte. A Costa de Ouro foi um ponto quente de sincretismo musical durante o período. Ritmos de Gombe e Ashiko, bem como estilos de guitarra mainstream e Osibisaba, bandas de latão europeias e canções de marujos foram todos misturados para se tornar highlife. Swing, jazz, rock, ska e soukous foram todos incorporados ao highlife.This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Afrobeats na música ganense

    Uma nova geração de cantores trouxe o gênero Afrobeats, também conhecido como Afro-pop, para a indústria musical ganense no final dos anos 2000. Foi popularizado por artistas como 4×4 e Fuse ODG, entre outros, e agora se tornou parte da cultura musical ganense.This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Title

    Heritage and cultural identity of Ghana: Despite its disparate origins and arbitrary borders, Ghana has developed a modest degree of national coherence. British rule itself provided several unifying influences, such as the use of English as the national language and a core of political, economic and service institutions. Since independence, Ghanaian leaders have strengthened national integration, especially through the expansion of the education system and the reduction of regional inequalities. They have also introduced new goals and values through the rhetoric of the independence movement, opposition to "neocolonialist" forces and the defence of pan-Africanism.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Independence of Ghana and national identity

    Ghana is notable for being the first African country to win independence from the British. Ghanaian officials commemorated this significant transformation by renaming the land after a famous indigenous culture of the past. Although mythical in nature, these evocations of noble origins, combined with a rich cultural heritage and a militant nationalist movement, provided unifying symbols and a sense of common identity and destiny to this ethnically diverse country.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Eventos culturais notáveis no país

    Entre os eventos notáveis incluem-se O Ano do Retorno, Além do Retorno, Dia Mundial do Turismo, Festivais e Parapente, entre outros.This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 18 Aug 2026

  • Ministério do Turismo, Cultura e Artes Criativas

    O Ministério do Turismo, Cultura e Artes Criativas dá-lhe as boas-vindas ao seu sítio web, que tem como objetivo informá-lo sobre o rico património cultural e diversificado.This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 18 Aug 2026

  • Cultural symbolism of Ghana

    The black star is the most conspicuous symbol, representing black pride and strength, as well as dedication to pan-African solidarity, key elements that motivated resistance to British authority. The flag, national coat of arms and national anthem feature it. Other significant symbols derive from Akan customs that have become part of national culture, including the ceremonial sword, the linguist's staff, the chief's stool and the talking drum. Kente cloth, Ghana's national attire, is another source of common identity and pride.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Urban architecture and housing in Ghana

    Housing consists of a cluster of interconnected rooms organised in a square around a central courtyard that functions as the centre of domestic activities. The king's or chief's palace is a more elaborate version of the basic house. The settlement layout in the north is substantially different, with dispersed farms. Western urban infrastructures exist, mainly in the coastal ports, such as Accra, Takoradi and Cape Coast, a pattern that post-colonial governments have followed.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Idiomas de Gana

    O idioma oficial de Gana é o inglês, que remonta ao passado colonial do país. A língua Akan, mais frequentemente falada, conquistou a posição de língua nacional de facto. Muitos membros de outras tribos estudam Akan como segunda língua e a utilizam com proficiência para comunicação intergrupal. Os próximos dois idiomas mais comuns são Ga-Adangme, Ewe e Hausa. Muitos ganenses são multilíngues, falando uma ou duas línguas indígenas além de sua língua materna e inglês.This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Diet and cuisine of Ghana

    The basic diet consists of a starchy food with soup or stew. Forest crops such as plantain, cassava, tropical yam predominate in the south. Corn is significant, especially among the Ga, and rice is also popular. The main dish is fufu, plantain or tubers pounded in combination with cassava. Soup ingredients include common vegetables and some animal protein, usually fish, and invariably hot pepper. Coconut oil and peanut soups are special favourites. The main cooking oil is locally produced red palm oil.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Ethnic diversity of Ghana

    Ghana contains great diversity of ethnic groups. The Akan are the most numerous group, representing more than 40% of the population, followed by the Ewe, Ga, Adangme, Guan and Kyerepong in the south. The largest groups of the north are the Gonja, Dagomba and Mamprussi, but the region contains many small decentralised communities such as the Talensi, Konkomba and Lowiili. In addition, significant numbers of Mossi from Burkina Faso have immigrated as agricultural and municipal workers, and Nigerians are widely present as traders.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Hiplife

    gênero musical ganense contemporâneo: Hiplife foi descoberto por uma nova geração de músicos no final dos anos 1990. Reggie Rockstone, um artista ganense que experimentou hip-hop nos Estados Unidos antes de desenvolver seu próprio estilo, é o criador deste estilo. Hiplife era essencialmente hip-hop na vernacular nativa ganense, com elementos de High-life tradicional para bom uso.This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Title

    Traditional musical genres of Ghana Body: The traditional music styles of northern Ghana are part of the broader Saharan musical traditions. They include lyrical compositions on string instruments such as the kologo lute and the gonjey violin, wind instruments such as flutes and trumpets, voice, as well as polyrhythms beaten or played on the talking drum, gourd drums and brecket drums. Gyil (balafon) music is also popular, especially in northern Ghana near Wa and Lawra.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026
Overview

Factos oficiais

  • Alimentação básica do Gana

    A dieta básica consiste num alimento amiláceo consumido com uma sopa ou guisado. As culturas da floresta, como a banana-da-terra, a mandioca, o inhame-coco (taro) e os inhames tropicais, predominam no sul.This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 18 Aug 2026

Contexto e história

  • Journalists killed in service

    Since 1993, UNESCO has been counting the number of journalists killed in the course of their duties.www.unesco.org · checked 18 Aug 2026

  • Phone number of the immigration service

    The Ghana Immigration Service's phone number is +233-302-224-445.gis.gov.gh · checked 18 Aug 2026

  • Health facility locator

    Easily locate a health facility in your community with our easy-to-use locator.ghs.gov.gh · checked 18 Aug 2026

  • Childhood vaccination schedule

    Follow Ghana's childhood vaccination and Vitamin A schedule, from birth to nine years of age.ghs.gov.gh · checked 18 Aug 2026

  • Mpox outbreak and transmission

    Mpox spreads mainly through close contact with someone who has the infection.ghs.gov.gh · checked 18 Aug 2026
Food and drink

Contexto e história

  • Waakye before noonCorroborado por fontes independentes

    Waakye is rice and cowpeas cooked together in an infusion of dye-sorghum leaves, which gives the grains their characteristic reddish-purple colour. At a roadside stall, the base is only the beginning: customers build a plate with tomato stew, shito, gari, spaghetti, egg, fried fish or meat, and sometimes plantain or avocado. It is especially associated with breakfast and lunch, and the same vendor may serve either a restrained portion or an enormous mixed plate. The queues and personalised combinations make waakye as much a morning ritual as a recipe.Fafa Gilbert · ndudu-by-fafa.blogspot.com · checked 18 Aug 2026

  • Pito from the northern savannaCorroborado por fontes independentes

    Pito is a fresh, mildly alcoholic beer brewed principally from malted sorghum and associated especially with northern Ghana. It is traditionally produced by women at household scale, served from earthen pots and drunk from small calabashes; because it keeps poorly, it is normally consumed close to where it was brewed. In Dagaaba drinking spaces, elders drink first, rounds are reciprocal and pito accompanies conversation rather than solitary drinking. Among Gurune communities and elsewhere in the north, it may also enter funerals, marriages, naming ceremonies and libation, so its ritual use is not identical across the region. (Em disputa: Its ritual use varies: the Dagaaba account cited here says pito is not used for libation, while the Gurune and Bolgatanga account describes it being poured at social and spiritual ceremonies.)Ruth Woudstra · www.ru.ac.za · checked 18 Aug 2026

  • Tuo zaafi with ayoyoCorroborado por fontes independentes

    Tuo zaafi, usually shortened to TZ, is a soft swallow made from maize or millet flour and associated above all with northern Ghana. It is commonly served in layers with ayoyo or okra soup and a tomato-based stew, sometimes enriched with dawadawa, dried fish, shrimp powder, beef or goat. The deliberately smooth tuo and slippery green soup are defining textures rather than preparation errors. In Tamale it is a marker of northern identity and hospitality, while Zongo restaurants helped carry it into cities farther south.Mohammed Fugu · www.graphic.com.gh · checked 18 Aug 2026

  • Kenkey in maize husks and plantain leavesCorroborado por fontes independentes

    Kenkey is a sour, elastic maize dumpling made by fermenting corn dough, cooking part of it, recombining it with uncooked dough, wrapping it and then steaming or boiling it. Ga kenkey, or komi, is wrapped in maize husks and usually salted, while Fante kenkey, or dokono, is wrapped in plantain leaves and is generally unsalted and fermented for longer. It is eaten at any hour with raw pepper or shito and accompaniments such as fried fish, sardines, prawns, egg or avocado. Visitors commonly encounter the two famous coastal forms, although researchers have also documented nsiho kenkey. (Em disputa: Popular accounts usually present Ga and Fante kenkey as the two forms, while the cited academic survey also records nsiho kenkey.)Fafa Gilbert · ndudu-by-fafa.blogspot.com · checked 18 Aug 2026

  • Banku and tilapiaCorroborado por fontes independentes

    Banku is a smooth, sour dough cooked from fermented maize and cassava, with variations associated with Ga, Ewe and Fante cooking. Its most conspicuous pairing is spice-marinated tilapia, grilled or fried and served with hot pepper plus an onion and green-pepper garnish. Restaurants across Ghana advertise the combination, and the size and presentation of the fish can make it a comparatively expensive order. The meal is now nationwide, but its logic still points back to coastal fishing communities, where fresh fish and quickly cooked banku naturally met.Fafa Gilbert · www.myjoyonline.com · checked 18 Aug 2026

  • Red red with fried plantainCorroborado por fontes independentes

    Red red is a cowpea stew built from onion, tomato or tomato paste, chilli and red palm oil, normally paired with ripe fried plantain and a scattering of gari. The palm oil supplies the earthy flavour and vivid colour, while the plantain brings sweetness and the gari adds a dry, granular contrast. It is a familiar Ghanaian comfort food and many versions are naturally vegan. Not every pot is meat-free, however: salted, smoked or dried fish may be added, so vegetarians and travellers with fish allergies should ask.Freda Muyambo · www.myburntorange.com · checked 18 Aug 2026
Connectivity

Factos oficiais

  • Assinantes de voz móvel em Gana (junho de 2026)

    44.151.279 assinantes de voz móvel com taxa de penetração de 129,55%This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.nca.org.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Assinantes de dados móveis em Gana (junho de 2026)

    30.515.711 assinantes de dados móveis com taxa de penetração de 89,53%This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.nca.org.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Assinantes de voz fixa em Gana (junho de 2026)

    260.976 assinantes de voz fixa com taxa de penetração de 0,77%This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.nca.org.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Assinantes de dados fixos em Gana (junho de 2026)

    213.412 assinantes de dados fixos com taxa de penetração de 0,63%This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.nca.org.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Assinantes de BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) em Gana

    1.454 assinantes de acesso sem fio em banda larga (BWA) com taxa de penetração de 0,00%This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.nca.org.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Quadro regulatório para taxa de roaming nacional

    A NCA pretende introduzir um marco regulatório para a determinação das taxas de grosso de roaming nacional para apoiar a conectividade de telecomunicaçõesThis block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.nca.org.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Especificações técnicas para equipamento de comunicação terminal

    A NCA pretende introduzir normas gerais e especificações para equipamento de comunicação terminal (TCE)This block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.nca.org.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Licenciamento de espectro 5G em Gana

    A NCA publicou respostas consolidadas para consultas sobre o processo de licenciamento de espectro 5G, realizando também uma sessão informativa pré-candidatura sobre licenças de espectro nas bandas de 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz e 3 GHzThis block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.nca.org.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026

  • Localização e contato da NCA

    A Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações está sediada em Airport City, Accra, GanaThis block is still in Portuguese; translation is under way.www.nca.org.gh · checked 17 Aug 2026
Language

Contexto e história

  • Official language of Ghana

    The official language of Ghana is English, which dates back to the country's colonial past. It is the country's official and teaching language.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 18 Aug 2026

  • Most spoken language in Ghana

    The most spoken language, Akan, has earned the position of de facto national language.www.motcca.gov.gh · checked 18 Aug 2026

Sources for this chapter: www.motcca.gov.gh · gis.gov.gh · www.unesco.org · ghs.gov.gh · www.graphic.com.gh · ndudu-by-fafa.blogspot.com · www.myjoyonline.com · www.myburntorange.com · www.ru.ac.za · www.nca.org.gh