Moving to Accra, whether from another region or another country, comes with a list of things to sort before life runs smoothly. Get these ten done early and the rest falls into place.
Register a SIM in your name
A phone number is the key to nearly everything else, from mobile money to deliveries. You register it with your Ghana Card, so sort that first if you can.
Get or update your Ghana Card
It is the main identity document in Ghana, needed to open a bank account, register a SIM, and deal with most offices. If you do not have one, start the process early.
Set up mobile money or a bank account
Mobile money covers day-to-day sending and paying and is quick to open. Add a bank account once your money or your needs grow beyond that.
Sort your electricity and water
Find out whether your place is on a prepaid ECG meter and how to buy credit, and check how water reaches the house, whether from the mains or by tanker.
Get your GhanaPost GPS address
The national address system gives your home a code that couriers, forms and services ask for. Generate yours early so deliveries and paperwork are not a struggle.
Work out your commute
Learn the trotro route from home to work, and when the traffic is worst, before you rely on it. Knowing a single direct trotro versus a two-trotro change saves time and money daily.
Find your nearest essentials
Locate the closest market, pharmacy and clinic to where you live. You want to know where they are before the day you actually need them.
Register or renew NHIS
National health insurance covers a lot of common treatment at accredited facilities. Get on it, or renew if your card has lapsed, so cover is ready if you fall sick.
Understand your tenancy
Know what advance you have paid, get a written agreement and a receipt for every cedi, and learn your basic rights as a tenant before any dispute comes up.
Save the numbers that matter
Your landlord, a reliable taxi or ride driver, a neighbour, and the emergency lines. Keep them where you can find them fast.
Do the first three in your first week, because the SIM, the Ghana Card and a way to pay make most of the others possible. The rest you can tick off as you settle.
