Driving in Ghana

Despite being a previous British colony, Ghanaians drive on the right-hand side of the road. While universal road rules do apply here, they aren't widely obeyed so don't be surprised to see a car barreling down the wrong side of the road, or a second (and sometimes third) lane created by trotros and taxis! Often police and/or emergency vehicles will create a lane in the middle of traffic by flashing their lights, sounding their horns so look out for them and move out of their way as soon as practicable! It's not unusual to also have private cars or personally hired security personnel to do the same...

Take care when driving at night, as often streetlights aren't switched on and it is very difficult to see the various hazards. The streets are normally quite busy at night with plenty of pedestrians milling around, so if it helps, slow down to avoid someone haphazardly crossing the street. As there aren't generally pavements or sidewalks, to walk on in Ghana, pedestrians will walk on the side of the road so if you can, always drive closer to the left hand side of your lane or road.

Outside of Accra, driving at night is not recommended because of careless drivers, poor road conditions, absence of street and traffic lights and lack of the proper use of other drivers' headlights and turn indicators.

Exercise extreme defensive driving by yielding to drivers of tro-tros (overcrowded mini-vans which serve as public transport within Accra and throughout the rest of the country) and taxis and maintaining a "cushion" between your vehicle and other vehicles to minimize the risk of an accident.

If driving in Ghana isn't your cup of tea, then you can always hire a driver!

See the Security and Safety section for more tips on driving in Ghana as well as license requirements.