Safety Tips in Ghana

Wasn't sure whether to put this in the Local Custom section or not. When a taxi quotes you 5 cedi's you tell him 2 cedi's and that is in the evening. Of course, it depends how far you are going. From Asylum Down to Osu that is a fair price. They see "tourist" and jack up the price. We did pay coming out of an expensive restaurant in Osu going back to Asylum Down and it was 5 cedi's and there was no backing down so we caved.

Drive from the points I'm talking about are roughly 10-15 minutes depending on traffic.

Always, ALWAYS, consult a travel medicine specialist before you go. Do not assume that your doctor is qualified to give advice on travel medical issues. I believe you will need a yellow fever and cholera inoculation and you should inform yourself regarding malaria medicine needs, mosquito repellents and such. You need to do this at least 5-6 weeks prior to departure. You will need to provide a certificate proving those vaccinations. Malaria shot is also recommended, however ask your travel medicine specialist for proper procedures.

I didn't experience any crime while i was in Ghana, there was one occasion where it was quite late and a guy was trying to 'guide' me to my guesthouse and wouldn't leave me alone but when i stopped another man to ask directions he showed me to the policestation where they looked after me and i ended up being escorted to my guesthouse by the chief inspector!

I found the Ghanaian police very helpful from just wanting directions, information or if you feel unsafe, they even pumped up my bicycle tyre when i had a puncture!

Many people earn a living by selling foods, mints etc from traffic lights. They are to be commended as it keeps them away from other not so savoury industries! Do beware however. You will always see bags of apples being sold with packets of toilet paper. The apples are kept cool by soaking in barrel of water and bagged 6 to a bag. So I'll leave it to your imagination as to why the 2 are sold together!

Please enquire at your hotel whether it is safe to venture outside without driver at night. We did one night and were very lucky. A man offered to walk us home, naturally we were suspicious but one of my beach friends had sent him to us because of the local danger and the distance was only 100 yds. When we offered to tip him he became highly embarrassed as he genuinely only offered out of friendship

Early explorers and missionaries, including the Great Egyptologist, Belzoni, died soon after arrival in Ghana. Today, the traveler's risk of dying by dysentary is low, and most other health risks can be vaccinated. The sole threat remains malaria, an illness spread by mosquitoes.

Authorities prescribe prophylatics a month before, during, and for a month after the trip, unless it will last more than several months. Prophylatics for malaria are not a vaccine but act to combat reproduction of malaria cysts in the blood. Mosquitoes detect humans by respired CO2, but less than 10% of mosquitoes carry malaria.

Ghana physicians at government clinics easily diagnose malaria. My wife disliked the nauseating side effects of the prophylatics, and stopped taking them. In Kumasi, she fell ill. I rushed her to the hospital, a dingy institution by USA standards. Crowded with patients, records were kept on index cards, banded and boxed, but Belinda was rushed to the doctor. By her report the doctor ruled out malaria, but took a blood sample anyway. We filled his prescription at a private pharmacy, as the hospital pharmacy was not stocked. After 35 days on the road in West Africa, my wife and I returned home healthy.

We are not medical experts but suggest the followng. First, use a DEET clothes wash kit to treat a set of clothes before leaving home. Second, use a 50% DEET lotion to stop mosquitoes from landing on the skin. Third, wear long sleeves and pants, especially at night. Fourth, and most importantly, since being biten at night during sleep is very common, stay in hotels with air-conditioning. Most towns in Ghana have at least one hotel with A/C, which eliminates a habitat of stable, hot, humid air that mosquitoes need and disperses/evacuates respired CO2. If the traveler is on a very tight budget, or if no a/c is available, a good fan near the bed can help, but then sleep in a mosquito net. Fifth, avoid spending time about the open sewers common in the cities.

I often read and hear stories about "that you have to be careful in Ghana". Everybody is strongly advised to be very careful in busy or dark places; for robberies, pick-pocketing, violence and all other kinds of drama.

I stayed in Ghana for 2,5 months and in this period I visited a lot of busy places and I walked alone in the streets at night in major cities like Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Cape Coast. I don't know what more I should have done to get in dangerous or threatening situations, but I experienced nothing like that.

The Ghanaian people are friendly people and are sincerely interested in the visitors in their country. And according to my experiences, that doesn't change when it gets darker, when it becomes crowdy or the you walk alone in a desolate place.

Of course it is wise not to walk around showing off expensive things and of course you'd better stay away from poor area's in the middle of the night, but there is absolutely no need to scare yourself because of all the stories you hear here and there.

If you are going to Ghana and especially when you are planning to spend a long time there, be prepared that nothing will stop you from having Malaria. Of course you should take your Malaria-medecines, wear mosquito repellant when the insects come out after sunset, and you should sleep under a mosquito net when there are mosquito in the room you are sleeping in.

But then again, you will get bitten anyway, and then the risk is very high that you will get sick. Therefore, be very careful when you are not feeling well: fever, sickness, tiredness and a lack of appetite are some of the signs. When you are feeling like that, better go to the hospital immediately.

In Ghana they are very generous with medecines and they will give you the Malaria medecines easily. But better to take these pills when there is nothing wrong with you, than to ignore it and wait until you have to spend some day in the hospital with an infuse in your arm.

Sorry for the scary talk, but my experience is that under people who spend at least 2 months in Ghana, at least 50% gets Malaria.