Internship in Ghana - The FAQs

In general, there are no salaries for internships in Ghana.

German nationals need a Tourist or Business Visa to enter the country, which can be applied for at the Embassy of Ghana in Berlin. If the stay should extend the valid Visa period you can apply for a visa extension at the Immigration Service in Accra. You should, however, consider a proceeding time of 14 days. The Ghanaian Visa does still need to be valid upon leaving the country. In addition to the valid passport and Visa, you also need an International Vaccines Record Card proving a recent yellow fever vaccination. Please consider that a Visa issued abroad for more than 2 months will be limited to a 60 day period.

At the beginning of July 2007, a currency reform took place and the Ghana Cedi (GC) replaced the country’s former currency, the Cedi. 10,000 old Cedi is now 1 GC. Credit cards are only accepted in bigger hotels and restaurants. Due to the high credit card abuse, it is advisable to only use your cards at such reliable places. Money can be exchanged in so-called FOREX offices. We do not recommend Traveler Checks, because of worse exchange rates.

Ghana compared to some other African countries, has a low crime rate. But you should nevertheless always have an eye on your handbag and purse. At night a lot of robberies and violent crimes are committed in particular areas: at the airport Kotoka, in the business district Osu as well as in the city areas Cantonment and Labone. You also should not drive at night due to the bad roads.

Ghana does have a public local and intercity transport system which is constantly growing, but it is still far from the European standard. Taxis are available in every bigger city. Trips with the so-called Tro-Tros are not advisable at all, because they are far from being street safe and therefore very accident-prone.

A Yellow Fever vaccination is compulsory and you need to already present proof upon applying for the Visa. We also recommend vaccinations against tetanus, diphtheria, polio and hepatitis A. For stays longer than 4 weeks also hepatitis B, rabies, meningococcus, and typhus shots. There is a high malaria risk all year round. You should definitely see your doctor or a Tropical Institute before your departure.