Subject: Do’s and Don’ts in Ghana

Do’s/ Desirable and Recommended

In terms of living in Ghana, the desirable and recommended practicesare as follows:

1. Dress modestly in public.
2. Speak very politely. If you have to say “Yes” or “No”, always say “Yes, please” or “No, please”. Ghanaians are English speaking. They speak very softly and in low volume. Raising volume is not appreciated.
3. Be respectful when dealing with people, and show respect for the traditional and religious values of whatever community you find yourself in.
4. Carry a photocopy of your passport/ID documents at all times. It is advised to keep the original document in a safe place.
5. Give yourself sufficient time to get official work done. The system takes time.
6. Protect yourself against scams, be it promise of a prize seeking deposit of money to redeem it or any network marketing schemes.
7. Try to complete tasks during daylight. If you are compelled to stay out late, you should be accompanied.

Don’ts/ Undesirable and Prohibited

The following points may be noted as practices not recommended or prohibited in Ghana:

1. Show extreme caution in protecting yourself from frauds. Do not disclose your account details, passwords to anyone.Do not entertain any phone calls that ask you to disclose your ATM or Mobile money pins.
2. Beware of people posing as officials at institutions like banks, hospitals, shops, airports, who try to extort money. Legitimate Official staff will always wear a staff ID with their names and pictures.
3. Beware of kidnapers, do not enter into cars which do not have legitimate number plates; for mobility use trust worthy sources like Uber, Bolt, Yango.
4. Do not use your left hand in the exchange of money, goods etc.
5. Wearing Military Garments including any attire with camouflage is prohibited.
6. Photography near sites like military camps, Police camps and headquarters and other Government buildings, is strictly prohibited.
7. Do not litterin prohibited zones and/orplaces outside the publicly designated zones for such practices.
8. Never make remarks that may evoke discrimination of any sort,racial or ethnic. Ghanaians pride themselves as champions of movement regarding racial discrimination.
9. There is little tolerance towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as it is not accepted by many Ghanaians. It is advised to stay away from such topics to avoid angering any person who might hurt you.