Greetings
Akwaaba
ah-KWAA-bah
'Welcome' in Twi — written above the arrivals hall at Kotoka and meant more sincerely here than most airport signage.
Ɛte sɛn?
eh-tee SEN
'How are you?' in Twi. The reply is 'Ɛyɛ' — it's fine. Two words that buy you enormous goodwill.
Medaase
meh-DAA-see
'Thank you' in Twi. 'Medaase paa' is thank you very much.
Social
Chale
CHAH-lay
'Mate' or 'buddy' — Ga in origin, universal in Accra, and used at the start of roughly every second sentence.
Obroni
oh-BRO-nee
'Foreigner', literally 'from over the horizon'. Usually cheerful and not an insult, though it wears thin on people who have moved here permanently.
Daily life
Dumsor
DOOM-sore
Literally 'off-on' in Twi — the rolling power cuts. When Ghanaians ask whether your area has dumsor, they are asking a serious question about your life.
Trotro
TRO-tro
The shared minibuses that move most of Accra. Routes are called out by the mate hanging from the door, and hand signals tell you where one is going.
Ghana Card
—
The national ID. Foreigners resident 90 days or more get the non-citizen version, and almost nothing — bank, SIM, tax, residence permit — works without it.
Food
Waakye
WAA-chay
Rice and beans cooked with sorghum leaves, served with shito, gari, egg and meat. The definitive Accra breakfast and a genuine institution.
Shito
SHEE-toh
The black chilli, dried fish and shrimp paste that accompanies almost everything. Start with less than you think.
Emergency
112
—
Ghana's unified national emergency number since 2020, routing to police, fire and the National Ambulance Service on every network.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.