25 Sep Living In Ghana | What Is It Really Like?

POV: it’s Japa season and everyone is looking for the best country to move to. In this post, I’m going to break down my experience of living in Ghana.

In case you didn’t know, Ghana is in Africa and in case you didn’t know again, I am a Nigerian Creator currently living in Nigeria but has lived barely five months in her apartment this year.

…So of course, I am the best person to make this post.

Before reading on, have you seen my post on What You Should Do Before Travelling to Ghana? Go read that first, then come back for the full dose.

On my first visit to Ghana in 2019, I stayed in a town called Pram-Pram and spent less than 24hrs in Accra (Ghana’s capital), before my return to Nigeria.

I made a house tour on the Airbnb I stayed at, check it out here

Since then, I have lost the number of times I have since visited and I thought it only fair to create this post because I have been living in Ghana for over two months now.

Things I Love About Living In Ghana

1. Light is stable: Maybe this isn’t something to brag about but coming from where I am from? It sure is. There is 24hrs light in Ghana. Of course, there have been a few times when the light went off (sometimes for hours) but I always knew it was going to be back. The government at one point, used to send text messages indicating the hours there wouldn’t be light in the area and let me tell you it is such an elite experience.
   
2. It is Calm: I currently live primarily in Lagos and Accra is a delight to be at. It is calm, quiet and almost the total opposite of Lagos.
   
3. The Coolest International Festivals happen Here: Do I really have to explain this bit? Unlike some other parts of Africa where music festivals and social events are kept for just December, Ghana has become the go-to location for international events and artistes to visit/perform. As I write this, they just hosted the 2022 Global Citizens Festival and I think that’s pretty cool. Afronation 2022 is also set to be hosted in Ghana this December.
   
4. It is Safe: There is something about constantly being around abuse, you begin to expect or think it’s normal. I remember going to two of the biggest markets in Accra and noticing that nobody was accosting me. I just walked through the market and bought all that I needed, while I hate to compare this experience with maybe visiting Yaba market in Lagos, it is the truth. I feel safer here walking the streets at night by myself than I do back home.
   
5. Transport Is Fair: I use uber everywhere and the prices are relatively fair, which is encouraging me to leave the house. Of course, there’s the option of climbing public buses but I have never done that, I assume it should be a lot more affordable.
   
6. Traffic Is Less: Especially if you are coming from Lagos, you will be pleased to know that traffic is a lot lesser here.
   
7. Police Harassment & Brutality: This goes hand-in-hand with my safety point, civilians feel safe approaching a police checkpoint. I do not experience harassment or bribe requests from any police officer.

My Not So Favorite Parts About Living In Ghana

1. Night Life Is Dead: This may sound extreme but come on, I am coming from Lagos, the city of turn ups and nothing compares. I once went out with a friend on a Tuesday night to Bloombar only to find out that it wasn’t opened. It was a shocker for me honestly because how are you a bar/club and you are not open as soon as the sun goes down? Cannot happen in my country. The music and DJ lineups do not cut it for me, so I would say reduce your expectations.
   
2. Things Are Expensive: Living in Lagos, I always will be the first person to scream “ah Lagos is expensive o” but after experiencing Accra for almost three years, Ghana takes the win. Did you know that Ghana is currently the most expensive country in the world? Inflation is really kicking ass here.
   
   Read more on Ghana’s rising inflation rate on Trading Economics
   
   Here is some context for ladies that do their lashes, I did hybrid lashes here for 400ghc, which is 40,000 in Naira. Meanwhile, in Lagos, it costs me N15,000.
   
   As a given cost; rent, food, water, light, hair, nails, etc always budget for more.
   
   
3. There Is No Variety Of Snacks: This may be silly to some of you but when you are LIVING in a place, it becomes a bother. I am a snacky girl and I enjoy having options but I struggle to find things I love and enjoy in shops here. Yes, I have been to Shoprite and all the grocery stores around me, but it’s just not giving.
   
4. They Buy Water: This is probably the strangest change I have had to experience and I’m not sure how to explain it. A lot of houses and homes in Ghana rely on a government unit called Ghana Water to give them water. There have been days where Ghana Water have had troubles with their system or maybe difficulty in fulfilling this task, that there will be no water for usage at my place. The water is also connected to light, so whenever there isn’t light, the chances of the water coming out of taps in the kitchen, toilet or wherever is 10%.
   
   I find this system to be unreliable, annoying and definitely one of the most uncomfortable things I have had to deal with in my stay here.
   
5. Uber Without Air-conditions: Remember how I said that Ghana Water was annoying, well this is just ridiculous. I am unsure if this is a policy or if maybe all the Uber/Bolt drivers had a union meeting to cut off air-condition for riders but it is ridiculous.
   
   You literally pay for comfort and I do not understand the reasoning of going freefall by letting the sun hit you. As a result, I try to carry a hairbrush whenever I step out to put my hair in place before coming down the car or just leaving my window side up till my last stop.
   
6. Profiling: Hate to say it, but it is true. There is profiling in Ghana. And sadly, this isn’t only done by law enforcement officials but also by regular people. I remember the summer of 2021, my friends wanted to get an apartment so all four of us went for an inspection and the landlord kept giving us a hard time. The questions he asked were so personal and intrusive and even more disappointingly, we could see the scepticism and hate in his eyes/the way he looked at us.
   
   My partner and his friend have also experienced profiling at the hands of some police officers, so now before they step out to some areas, especially at night, they have to remember to carry their resident cards.
   
   So this is especially for my Nigerian readers, be aware and prepared.

Generally, I like to think of Ghana as Lagos on packaging but I think it is a great place to live if you want a quiet nice life. It is recently a go-to place for tech founders who want to start-up their businesses, looking for a new and unexplored market, and definitely want to work remotely.

Do I see myself moving permanently here? No. I just think it isn’t my pace but I will always spend long holidays in Ghana for sure.

Anyway, I hope you got some insights into what living in Ghana is actually like and this helps you plan your next trip properly…or maybe you could move here.

I love you for reading, thank you.