Miscellaneous

 Greetings
Greeting is a form of hospitality the Ghanaian adore. Use your right hand in receiving or giving out things. The use of the left hand is considered an insult in Ghana.Do not also point the left hand at people or greet with it.

As much as possible avoid fondling your partner in public or any intimate physical contact in public; this might result in kissing in the streets. It is considered unacceptable and impolite behavior. It is a showing off and bad for the morals of the youth.

If you wish to make a gift or any kind of food to anyone, hand it over to the person. Do not throw or leave them on the floor for the person to pickup. It is considered degrading.
Avoid making racist remarks! Ghanaians are of discrimination, however subtle. The naturally hospitable Ghanaian could turn very hostile indeed, when he is made to feel second-class in his own country!

It is considered bad manners also to make any open distinctions in class, age or sex in public. Be appreciative of persons who appreciate you. Ghanaians like foreigners and wish to express their feelings openly and to make friends.
If for any reason you wish to present a gift to your hosts (or someone else) do not worry about what may be considered appropriate. Whatever you think fit would normally be appreciated. Alternatively some amount of money would do. This could be discreetly presented to the person.
Do not go out with every person who invites you to a night out. If you do not sufficiently trust the person, invite a colleague or a member of your host family to come along.

If for any reason you would be returning very late at night to your residence at a host family home, inform your host in advance.
Be discreet about your sex life. Visible evidence of several on - going relationships is frowned upon and interpreted as lewd behavior.

Food items left in the fridge at the host family home such as tins of milk or chocolates might be used or eaten by the kids. Do not take offence, Ghanaians like sharing most things; but be wary.

SECURITY

Be security concious! Keep your personal effects safely tucked away in your locker or bag after retiring for the day. There might be thieves at the hotel, beach or even at your host family home. Valuable items such as cash, mobile phones, cameras, wrist watches, shoes and passports are common targets for the petty thief and the mugger.

Greeting Courtesies

Ghanaians greet with a handshake and a click of the fingers; don't let this put you off. It is a show of appreciation and friendship. Respond to any such handshake, using your right hand.

When you are invited to a gathering, you must make an effort to greet the people you meet on your arrival. In doing so, do not just greet only the person known to you, you must greet everyone. Begin from person seated on your right and proceed left-wards towards the last person.
While it is not obligatory that you should greet every other person you meet in the street, you should do well to respond to greetings from others. It is considered disrespectful and spiteful not to return greetings by other people.

Economics

Most things sold in the market place or by street hawkers have no fixed prices. To obtain the best bargain, try haggling off a few cedis. You might succeed in cutting the price by as much as a third or more. It is not an unexpected part of the market regime, and can be fun.

Tipping Policy

There is no regulation on tipping in Ghana. The practice is generally governed by the local cuts of gift- giving in appreciation of good service. Thus tips which could be in cash or kind are given for any good service. Local people usually expect it . No sums can be prescribed. The value of the tip is optional, depending on individual generosity, but should be fairly commensurate with the level of service rendered. At the airport or harbour, it is useful policy to first ask if a porter has a charge for his services. If he specifies a charge, you could afford to do wihtout may be left as tips for bar attendants, stewards or cleaners at hotels. Tips may be given in the local or the giver's own currency. Children who solicit for alms or gifts and general begging should at best be ignored to discourage them from begging.

Funerals

It is very interesting to study the way ghana's funeral is organised. It normally starts from fridays with a wake keeping of the corpse. The mourning activity involves the family members crying and sobbing bitterly. It has been a custom for the family members to sob. 

Funerals are common phenomena in Ghana. But they are held for a specific reason, namely, to mourn and bury the dead. Because Ghanaian tradition teaches that death is a  common destiny shared by all mankind, foreigners are welcome at funerals ceremonies. But preferably you may go to a funeral in the company of a local person and must be in the appropriate apparel-black or red (white apparel is acceptable only when the deceased had  died at a ripe old age). You need to enquire about the apparel. At a funeral, the foreigner is understood to be there to mourn and not out of curiousity. Picture taking (or video filming) is restricted to relations of the deceased. Thus refrain from taking pictures at a funeral ceremony or advisedly ask permission.

GHANAIAN FUNERALS 

A ghanaian funeral at the church
service before burial.

At the church sermons, prayers
are given to God before burial.

A very important chief's funeral
ceremony.He is been taken to
the burial grounds.

A ghanaian coffin modeled in
the form of cocoa. This is
normally used for very wealthy
cocoa farmer.

Sacred Grounds

You should take off your slippers, sandals or shoes when entering shrines, mosques or the consulting rooms of traditional priest. These places are considered 'sacred grounds'and liable to be defiled by entrants having their sandals on.
Take off your sandals, slippers or shoes when entering the living room of a notable, such as a chief or some elder. This expected as a sign of respect for the host.

Foods and Drinks

Fresh fruits and vegetables abound in Ghana and are readily available in the market. Fruits such as mangoes, guava, custard apples which do not require peeling before eating should advisely be washed before they are eaten.There is the posibility that some of these may have been treated with insecticides.

Pipe-borne water in this country has been officially declared safe for drinking- that is , off the tap, but advisely boil all tap water, water from wells or fetched from rivers and cool before drinking. Below are some of the categories of the Ghanaian foods.

GHANAIAN FOODS

Wakye and Shitor
(pronounced waachie)
and cabbage stew
This food is a little bit hot with
pepper source when eating but
also very delicious. Remember
to drink more water after eating.

Fried Riped Plantain
(pronounced brode korkoor)
Normally eaten after desert.
can also be eaten
with cooked beans.
Can also be eaten with the local
Gari and beans with palm oil

Fufu and soup
(pound cassava and plantain
with tomatoe soup or
palm nut soup)
This Ghanaian food is the
favorite of  most Ghanaians.
It is eaten by swallowing the fufu
after dipping it into the soup.

Fried Plantain
(locally called "Kelewele" )
This kelewele food  is a little
bit with hot pepper source and
is fried with oil. Very delicious.

Banku and pepper with fish
(made with maize
sometimes mixed with cassava)

khebab (locally called
"Kyikyinga")

A hospitality at it best when
you visit the markets of Ghana.

Different kinds of fruits and
vegetables at a very
affordable price. Prices are
also negotiated or bargained.

A Ghanaian market at a scene.

You will find different kinds
and varieties of fruits to buy
at the market.

You may also try some of Ghanaian apple fruits.taste very sweet.

Photography

Pictures and cameras are always welcome but do not take pictures indiscriminately . Always ask permission from the subjects you wish to include in your picture. They might request you to pay a small sum of money, and would willingly cooperate if you oblige. And when the subjects have agreed to cooperate, please not ask for unusual poses.

Avoid taking pictures of nude people, children or adults, or people in ragged apparel. Ghanaians resent this, as they believe that these pictures could be used to paint a negative image of the country.

You are prohibited from photographing security installations such as military or police baracks, border installations, airport point of entry installations, broadcasting and power installations and the Castle (State House) Osu.
Ask permissions before you take pictures of shrines or sacred places.

Dress Code

1. If you are on an official or business or business visit and will be attempting meetings, receptions and parties, you will need to be appropriately attired for any such occasion,in Europe and American.

2. If you are here just for pleasure, then it is acceptable to go informally; that is ,you may wear shirts and trousers,or slacks and tee shirts.

3.It is important however not to overdo the informality, by wearing for example short jeans and bathroom sandals to the Ministries, hotels or discos, or be seen on the streets or in the villages in swimsuits, bikinis or see through apparel. This is considered 'offensive' by local people as it does not represent the Ghanaian notion of proper dressing.

4. Nudity in public is considered an affront. Although it is not expressly forbidden to go nude on the beaches, it is not the usual practice to see local adults running around or swimming without clothes.

5. Some precaution is required by those who wish to sun tan while in Ghana; particularly those who have not exposed their bodies to heat for sometime. The sun can be pretty hot,particularly in the afternoons; thus careless exposure can result in serious skin burns.

6.A practical way of reducing the sun's impact while sun-bathing is to wear a big straw hat,a kind of a sombrero which provide enough shade to prevent the sun. These are easily available in the market. Appropriate sun-tan lotion could be used.

Hello and welcome to Ghana.

 "Before proceeding, readers must be aware that this blog is an inspiration to the magazine produced by the Ghana tourism board.and this is only to help broadcast their information. any usage of this information for unauthorized purpose is strictly forbidden."

So here you are in Ghana! Akwaaba.(welcome). It makes no difference what you are here for whether on business or pleasure you are in for a treat!

Welcome to Ghana: A special Africa -A Different Africa! Just relax and enjoy your stay. While you are here,whether for leisure or on business or on business, do utilize the opportunity to see our varied and interesting tourist attractions including our 15-18th century Forts and Castles.  They are unique because no such monuments can be seen any where else in the West African Region.Ghana also abounds in rain forests, nature parks, museums,cultural centers, not to mention our scenic landscapes,exiting waterfalls and palm fringed beaches which span many kilometers of the southern region.You have the option of seeing these places either as an individual or as family, going in a car, or you can take a group tour.The choice is yours!