Ghana
Interesting Facts
- In 1957 Ghana became the first country in Africa to attain independence from its colonisers, the British.
- In 2010, Ghana began pumping oil for the first time.
- Ghana is one of the world’s largest producers of cocoa.
- Ghana’s Lake Volta is the largest man-made lake in the world with a surface are of 8502 square meters
- Kofi Annan, 7th UN Secretary General is Ghanaian
Key Market Alerts
- Rental in Ghana is typically paid for the full lease period, in advance.
- Any legal fees or estate agent’s fees usually need to be paid by the tenant.
- Security deposits are not always required because the rent is paid up-front.
- Malaria is prevalent throughout Ghana.
An Overview of Ghana
Ghana is a resource-rich country with its economic foundation largely lying in the agriculture and mining sectors – specifically gold mining. In 2007 a major oil discovery was made – adding to the economy’s buoyancy. Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 14% in 2011 and is forecast to continue to grow steadily.
Ghana is located in West Africa and its terrain is generally flat with some steep escarpments in the Central and Northern parts. Ghana’s capital, Accra, is located on the city’s coast and has a population of approximately 2.6 million people.
English is Ghana’s official language and is widely spoken.
Living in Accra
Accra is considered one of the easier locations for expatriates to relocate to in West Africa. Ghana enjoys greater levels of political stability than its neighbours and corruption is seen as less of a problem. Accra is, in addition, a fairly small city and is therefore less overcrowded and congested than the cities in Ghana’s neighbouring countries. As such companies are increasingly seeing Accra and Ghana in general, as a gateway to West Africa.
The city’s expatriate community is receiving a boost in numbers. This is largely driven by Ghana’s growing oil industry – as well as growth in the telecommunications and transport sectors. Ghana being considered an easier location does not however mean that the city is without its challenges. Challenges that will particularly impact expatriates are: the sometimes unreliable supply of water and electricity, and acclimatising to the cities high temperatures and high levels of humidity.
Housing in Accra
Suitable expatriate housing in Accra and Ghana, is not abundant and larger villas are easier to come by than apartments. However, as the expatriate community in the city grows, the market is responding by constructing more compounds and apartment complexes. Popular areas for expatriates in Accra include Airport Residential Area, Cantonments, Labone, Ridge, Abelemkpe, Dzorwulu, East Legon, Ringway and Osu. Short term, furnished accommodation and serviced apartments are, easy to come by, but rentals are high.
Schooling in Accra
The education system in Ghana is closely aligned to the British system and International Schools offer a high standard of education. There is however a high demand for International Schools and there tend to be long waiting lists.