Health and Safety

As international volunteers, your health and safety is our primary concern. Ghana is rated one of the safest West African countries, however, there is always some inherent risk involved in traveling abroad and we have taken strong precautions to make sure your volunteer experience in Ghana is secure.

Prior to arrival in Ghana, volunteers will receive  information regarding vaccinations recommended by current health  advisories. In-country safety and behavior guidelines will be covered in  both orientation materials sent to volunteers and at the group  orientation session upon arrival. The Center for Disease Control also has excellent resources and health recommendations for travelers.

Upon arrival to Ghana all volunteers will be registered with the U.S. Embassy Consulate in Accra. Home-stays are located close to several excellent medical facilities.

While in Ghana volunteers have 24-hour access to Sankofa Center staff  and the assistance of experienced local home-stay families. Your loved  ones back home also have the comfort of contacting volunteers through  Sankofa Center staff cell phones, local land telephones, and e-mail.

Health Information for Travel to Ghana

Required Shots and Pills

  • Yellow Fever (required by Ghanaian government to enter Ghana)
  • Typhoid
  • Hepatitis A
  • Anti-Malaria Pills*

Optional (consult a health care provider to see if these are appropriate for you)

  • Hepatitis B
  • Meningococcal Meningitis
  • Influenza

You should review your Tetanus/Diphtheria/Polio boosters and “Childhood Disease” inoculations and update them if needed.

*Medicines that protect against malaria in this area include Mefloquine (Lariam), Doxycycline, or Atovaquone/Proguanil (Malarone). The best drug for you depends on a number of personal factors that you should discuss with your health care provider. For full protection you need to start taking prophylaxis before you arrive in Ghana. There are many pharmacies throughout Accra that supply antibiotics and other medications. However, if you are currently taking other prescribed medications you should bring sufficient quantities with you.

Passport – visa – plane tickets

Passport and visa requirements

You must possess a valid passport good for the duration of your stay in Ghana. You must possess your passport at least two (2) months prior to your program start date. If you don’t have a passport you can contact your local Post Office or City Hall to start the process. It may take several weeks to receive your passport by mail.

To enter into Ghana you must obtain a Ghanaian Visa from the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington, DC. It’s important to have your passport early because you must mail your passport to the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington, DC so they can stamp in your visa and return your passport. This process will take place one month prior to your travel date and The Sankofa Center will send you an information hand-out on the proper procedures for completing the application for your visa.

Plane tickets

Buying your plane ticket to Ghana should be done as soon as possible to get the cheapest price. You should plan accordingly for any extra travel you want to do in West Africa before or after the program. You must keep in mind that when you fly to Ghana you will be one day behind the U.S. due to the time difference and length of travel. Therefore, you must make sure you’ll arrive on time for your program start date. Arriving late is strongly discouraged due to the choreography involved in your participation in the program. Any anticipated delays must be communicated with Sankofa Center staff as soon as possible. Sankofa Center staff members will be there to greet you at the airport so it is important to communicate current travel issues. There are a few points to consider to get the best price possible for your journey.

Your final destination will be Kotoko International Airport (KIA), in Accra Ghana. Visit its website to learn about the various international airlines servicing the airport: https://www.gcaa.com.gh/

  1. Multiple-flight Connections – There are no direct flights from the U.S. to Ghana. You must purchase two separate tickets: One from the U.S. to Europe and the second from Europe to Ghana. Common European connections are in London, Amsterdam, Madrid, and Milan (for a complete list of airlines servicing Kotoko International Airport from Europe please visit the website above). Make sure that your separate flights connect appropriately!! Increasing flight connections usually yields cheaper tickets. If you are booking online make sure you are booking two separate reservations, one single reservation will yield an extremely high price.
  2. Day of Flight – prices vary depending on the day of the week you are traveling, alter your arrival/departure days to get better prices, weekends are usually higher.
  3. Travel Agencies – contacting travel agencies directly in Europe to purchase your ticket to Ghana for that leg of the journey usually yields cheaper tickets. As a general rule, purchasing a plane ticket from the departure country is usually cheaper. Also, utilizing agencies that specialize in travel to Africa are usually cheaper than other agencies. The internet offers a wide variety of travel agencies specializing in cheap plane tickets to Africa. A search on the words cheap plane tickets to Africa has produced some good results.
  4. Search – searching a variety of ticket brokers for both legs of your journey will yield cheaper tickets. You may find drastic differences between companies. Give yourself enough time to search since it’s important to buy early, especially Europe-Ghana tickets.

Please contact us and let us know what prices you find so we can share it with our cohort to optimize everyone’s savings.