Vehicles/Roads/Driving In Ghana
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Vehicles/Roads/Driving in Ghana By Peter Morris Ghana-pedia's Australian-based co-administrator
This special Ghana-pedia reference is a chapter devoted to vehicles, driving, and driver's etiquette in Ghana.
Ghana-pedia co-administrator returning to Tema from a trip to Ada Foah in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana (December 2008)
Cars in Ghana are generally a mixture of models and vintages, with well-known makes such as Toyota, Nissan, Kia, Mercedes Benz, Ford, Hyundai, and Opel (GM). Mahindra and Tata, two Indian car-makers, are also commonly seen on Ghana's roads. Several of these makers have dealerships in Accra, which are mostly found on Graphic Road in the Light Industrial Area located between Kwame Nkrumah Road in Adabraka, and Obetsebi-Lamptey Circle. Dealerships that can be found include Toyota, Nissan, Kia, Audi, and Jaguar, although the latter is located on Spintex Road in eastern Accra. Some of these dealerships can also be found in Kumasi. The excellent Achimota Road, approaching Akuafo Circle & the '37' Military Hospital in Accra. Note the variety of vehicle models on the road. (March 2008)
While the majority of the cars on the road in Ghana are not four-wheel drive (4wd), without doubt the most practical of cars to handle Ghanaian roads are these vehicle types. This is because of the varying road conditions you will find in Ghana. While excellent roads, such as the Kwame Nkrumah Motorway between Tetteh Quarshie Circle & Tema, or the excellent coastal road west of Accra, are as good as any country road you might travel on in my native Australia, there are plenty of terrible roads that are more ideally suited to a 4wd vehicle. The excellent coastal road heading west of Accra. This particular spot is an attractive section of road that hugs the coast between Cape Coast & Elmina (February 2008)
An example of this is the 30km from just north of Achimota Interchange in Accra, to Nsawam, which, in fairness, is currently being worked on to create a smooth multi-laned highway, but is nontheless in a very poor state at time of writing this article. The bad state of this road currently adds around one hour to any trip between Accra & Kumasi. However, once this section is passed, the rest of the road to the Ashanti Region's capital is superb. Ghana-pedia You Tube video clip of the drive from Tetteh Quarshie Circle, heading along Liberation Road in Accra. The clip ends as the vehicle reaches the T-junction with Patrice Lumumba Road (to the left). (February 2008)
Accra itself has amazingly few main roadways heading out of the city centre, clearly dating from colonial times when far fewer cars had to be contended with, and in what appears to have been a case of short-sightedness, the existing roads seem to have been considered suffice as the city continued to expand. For example, at present, only two options to travel from central Accra to Tema by road even exist. One is the previously-mentioned Kwame Nkrumah Motorway, which is a very efficient tollway which is generally quite swift in moving traffic between the port city & the capital. The other option, Teshie-Nungua Road (aka Labadi Road), is a single-laned nightmare which will take two frustrating hours to negotiate in peak hour. Heavy traffic in gridlock on Nsawam Road in the Kokomlemle district of Accra. The lanes on the left are trying to enter the choked Kwame Nkrumah Circle, while the lanes on the right are heading north towards Achimota Interchange. This is typical of peak hour in Accra ! (March 2008)
The latter conditions call for practical vehicles rather than the aesthetically-pleasing varieties, although the more well off set of people in Accra often cannot help themselves, and will still opt for a luxury car that seems ill-suited to the rigours that some of Ghana's roads present. Other issues which present a pitfall is the drains and sewerage pits that often lurk as an unseen danger just to the side of the road. Another extremely dangerous practice is seen in country towns, where the villagers themselves have erected ridiculously high speed humps that are not signposted, which are almost impossible to see at night before the chassis of your car gets hammered. Indeed, on my last trip, when I traveled to the Western Region, one such speed hump just west of Dixcove, which was more of a traffic hazard, damaged the frame of the car I was driving & severed my fuel line. Somehow, I was able to save the fuel, patch up the fuel line, and limp back to Accra. It is common for cars to have the duco scratched in minor incidents, and few people tend to pay minor scratches to a vehicle very much attention. Cars with body damage are common, and such things are often only repaired if it becomes an absolute requirement. Buying car consumables, aside from petrol, is unlike in western countries. Indeed, the massive auto parts stockists that are common in western countries are almost unheard of in Ghana. In Accra's case, there are several districts where spares or consumables can be obtained, but the parts can sometimes be recycled, and particularly in the case of consumables, frequently do not work. In one district, Abossey Okai, all the spare part hawkers are all on one particular road, and you simply drive down the road holding up the part you want, and yelling at local vendors to see if they have one ! The 'best place' to buy vehicle spares & consumables in Accra - Peregrino Aryee Street in the district of Abossey Okai in western Accra - although cheap, the quality is often dubious ! (December 2008)
General driving conditions in Ghana are not like the average western country in metropolitan areas, however, there are similarities with country roads. There is also a certain local 'etiquette' that is generally followed. Firstly, Ghana adopted driving on the right-hand side of the road (ie, 'American-style') back in the mid-1970s at the behest of the then-dictator, General Acheampong, who appears to have done this to distance himself from the old ways of colonial British rule. It is the same method if you live in Europe or the United States, however, if you are traveling from the British Commonwealth, you will probably have to familiarize yourself somewhat. The juncture of Achimota & Kanda Roads in Accra, with the Nima district in the background. With street hawkers rushing around to stationary vehicles, this is photograph gives an excellent idea of the typical scene you will find at busy Accra junctures. (February 2008)
However, there are differences in the standard practises adopted by drivers, and initially foreign drivers may be intimidated by the differences. Remarkably, despite the varying conditions of roads in Ghana (the good, the bad, and the ugly), Ghanaian drivers are generally pretty forgiving.
It is common to be traveling on a highway or motorway, which has a posted speed limit of 100km per hour, and be passed by a vehicle as though you were standing still, even if you are cruising well over the speed limit yourself. Personally, I have been sitting at speeds of 130km on the Kwame Nkrumah Motorway between Tema & Tetteh Quarshie Circle, and had vehicles whip past me comfortably ! There are few, if any, speed detection devices found in Ghana, and the Ghana Police simply make a judgement call as to whether someone is speeding. Ghana also does not have the very automated driver infringement processes of the west, where you are sent a notice telling you how fast you were going on what road, and at what minute of the day, which certainly works in the driver's favour. I have often drifted above the speed limit in Ghana, often to the point where any police personnel would clearly identify me as breaking the speed limit, and yet I have never been stopped by police for that reason. Also, if you are stationary at a red light, and turning right (ie, not across traffic), people generally turn on the red signal, so long as the lane you are turning into is clear of oncoming traffic. Whether or not this is actually allowed with a police presence is not known, but you get blasted by car horns from behind you if you don't go. There is also an odd local etiquette which have probably developed to cater for some of the older roadways around Ghana. For example, it is common that if you are traveling at a lower speed, and a car in the oncoming lane signals that he wants to turn across your lane, you either stop, or leave enough gap betwen you and the vehicle in front of you to allow the driver to turn. This is so the driver doesn't hold up an entire line of traffic waiting to turn. Many of the roads are somewhat chaotic at times, especially at places like Kwame Nkrumah Circle and Independence Avenue, both at peak hours, and the almost permanently choked arterials such as Teshie-Nungua Road, Spintex Road, and the Kwame Nkrumah Motorway between Mallam Junction and Tetteh Quarshie Circle (a 'Motorway' only in name betwen these points - really a single lane road that takes 45 minutes to pass at the best of times !). The Labadi (Teshie-Nungua) Road near the Teshie district in eastern Accra. The structure on the right is Harbin, a combined Chinese restaurant & entertainment facility which houses the only ten-pin bowling alley in Ghana. Just by looking at this picture, I can tell it's on a quiet Sunday afternoon - on any other day, this tiny dual carriageway is in gridlock ! (February 2008)
In regards to licencing, I experienced mixed receptions from the Ghana Police about my international licence, and it got frustrating, so I just paid the 18 Ghana Cedis required to transfer my Australian licence into a Republic Of Ghana driver's issued by the DVLA, although the process took an excrutiating three hours to complete. However, now that I have it, when I am stopped at one of the many police checkpoints, I usually have no problems, unless they find another meagre excuse to bust me for a traffic offence I may or may not have committed (usually you can get out of this if you are 'resourceful' !). I do have a South African friend who now lives in Ghana, and he tells me he has an international licence and has never had any problems regarding his licence, so maybe I am just unlucky, although he tells me he is willing to argue with the Ghana Police for as long as it takes out of principle, where as I grow tired of it and just want to get on my way (that's when I use some available 'resources'). My two personal favourites when it comes to personal traffic offences were as follows - (1) I was stopped at Tetteh Quarshie circle in Accra doing an illegal U-turn. I had a feeling it wasn't allowed, but there was no sign saying I couldn't, so I did a U-turn and headed back in the direction I came (towards Tema), rather than use the exchange ramps. When the police officer stopped me, I said I didn't see any sign saying that a U-turn was not allowed, but he proceeded to tell me the signs were on the ground because other drivers had knocked them down. I told him that the signs being on the ground wasn't much good to me if I am trying to follow the rules, and in the end, some small amount of available 'resources' were used to settle the matter. (2) In the Cantonments district of Accra, I was using the left hand lane, but wanted to go straight, but although the signposts gave directions as to where certain areas were, there was no sign to warn me that the left lane must turn left. It was only towards the head of the line of traffic that I realized this, and when the light went green again, I took advantage of the broken-down taxi's predicament next to me, and indicated to pass in front of him before entering the intersection, but got pulled up for unsafe driving. I argued with that policeman, stating that even under the very strict Australian traffic laws, I didn't think I had committed any offence. I got the usual "I am taking you to court", but I told that officer that I doubted that any charge would stick. In the end, he was wasting my time, so some very small 'resources' were used to get me on my way again.
As mentioned in the last few paragraphs, police checkpoints are common in Ghana. This is particularly the case when driving in the country, where a drive from Accra to Cape Coast may see you pass 2-3 police checkpoints during the day, and perhaps double that in the evenings. They are located on strategically-important roads in the defence of Ghana, and while it often amounts to nothing more than a torchlight examination of the vehicle's interior and the driver, some more methodical police officers will ask for a licence, check registration & insurance, and perhaps even look for reasons to defect a vehicle. Usually, if something is amiss, a promise to fix it, and the use of some 'resources', is enough to change the threat of being taken to court with a friendly warning to bring it to your attention. In Accra, police checkpoints spring up after around 9pm on main roads. Once again, checkpoint police officers are a mixed bunch - from rather laconic officers who wave on everyone except the most shifty-looking drivers or vehicles, to more thorough ones, although if you are a foreigner, you often encounter surprisingly little trouble, except perhaps an attempt to obtain some 'resources'. One rather jovial officer that I recall pulled me over at a checkpoint one night, and blatantly asked if I had something for him !
Another common cause for stoppages, mainly outside of regional capitals, is toll booths. Unlike the tolls that may be paid in western countries, the standard toll in Ghana is an almost trivial 10 GHp. Indeed, the only real inconvenience is the pause in your travels while you wait to go through a booth, particularly at more busy locations like the massive tollway near the turn-off to Kokrobite on the Accra-Cape Coast Road. The toll booth on the Tamale-Bolgatanga Road at Nasia in the Northern Region of Ghana. Hawkers selling a variety of wares rush to stationary tro-tros. (February 2008)
Country driving in Ghana is somewhat less stressful than driving in the regional capitals of Accra & Kumasi. Any frustration usually comes from getting stuck behind slower-moving vehicles, particularly trucks, buses, and tro-tros. There are almost zero overtaking lanes in Ghana, and long lines of vehicles can form behind slower-moving ones as they wait for their chance to overtake. Ghana-pedia You Tube video clip of a drive through the Akuapem/Akwapim Range in the Eastern Region of Ghana. This section of road, between Mampong-Mamfe-Adawsa, heading towards Koforidua. (February 2008)
Aside from overtaking, toll booths, and police checkpoints, it is pretty much plain sailing. Most of the major roads are very modern and well-maintained. Notable among this group is the coastal road from Accra to the Western Region capital, Takoradi (and beyond), the excellent new road from Accra to Mampong (Eastern Region), the Tamale to Bolgatanga road, and the road from Tema to Akatsi in the Volta Region. The excellent new highway between Accra's Legon district, and the town of Peduase, at the base of the Akuapim Hills in the Greater Accra Region. (March 2008)
Notable exceptions to this rule is the road from Akatsi to Aflao in the Volta Region, which is either a very rough unsealed road, or a sealed road that looks like it has been subject to an artillery barrage (and adds about an hour to any journey in that direction). As previously mentioned, the main road from Accra to Kumasi betwen Achimota and Nsawam (Eastern Region) is currently in an extremely poor state, however, apparently never-ending works on a massive multi-laned highway are currently underway. The road from Anyirawase to Hohoe in the Volta Region is a mixed bag of very smooth roadway & pothole hell. The unsealed road between Fufulsu and Mole National Park in the Northern Region of Ghana. Sadly, this is the road leading to one of Ghana's best National Parks. It is quite rough, and vehicles emit a sheet of fine red dust as they travel, which gets into everything. (January 2007)
However, particularly sad is the road that runs between Fufulsu and Mole National Park in the Northern Region of Ghana. This unsealed road is so bad, it is even mentioned with a high degree of notoriety in the ubiqitous Bradt:Ghana travel guide. Unsealed, rough, and dusty, the only sealed stretch is the 1-2km in the town of Damongo. While a 4wd vehicle is not necessary, the shock absorbers certainly assist, and it is not uncommon for the Intercity/STC bus service to break down on this stretch of road. Passing vehicles emit a blanket of fine red dust that coats everything, and the first thing you will want to do when you reach your destination is take a long shower.
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 26 January 2010 ) |
