AT LAST!! YOU LANDED IN GHANA !!
HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR BEGINNING A NEW EXPAT LIFE 😉
WHICH STEPS FOR REGISTERING IN YOUR NEW COUNTRY ?
Foreign Bureaucracy are often the Devil !! (Although we are not very good at it in France neither, you may be thinking …. !!! ).
Apartment, check. Now that you have the basics down, keep in mind that there are many countries whose government offices move at a slower pace. This is when you learn patience !
Keep these tips in mind as you traverse your new home and go to your embassy as the French Ghana Ambassy :
Be sure to have your visa in order. Know where the government offices are and know how long a wait each appointment requires. Most importantly though, bring a book, try not to get frustrated at all the red tape!
The french ambassy address: 12th road off Liberation Avenue, PO Box 187, Accra
Tel: (00) 233 (0) 302.21.45.50
Why register to the ambassy?
In order to benefit from all ambassy services and to be secured during your expatriation here. It is free and it will facilitate administration formalites (such as having a new passport, identity cad, driven license). You will receive by email important information (such as staying home because of a big storm !! ). You can also be on the electoral list.
How to register?
2 options are possible according to your stay lenght
1st, less than 6 months : you can tell the ambassy you’re here and give them contacts where you stay and the one to call in France if there is a problem
2nd, more than 6 months : you have to show your ID, your french nationality and where you live now in Ghana. You will then get a card which prooves you live here now. It will be indispensable if you need to be repatriated for illness for exemple.
How to register for citizen a Non -citizen resident ID?
You have to go to register for your Non-citizen ID to have your permit to stay in Ghana if you are a foreign national permanently resident in the country.
You can find infomation in foreigner identification website. It cost about 100€ and a scratch card must first be bought from any Cal Bank branch then the registration process start with a registration form about your personal information and biometrics (fingerprints and photograph) are then taken. Applicant is then instantly issued a Non-citizen card which signifies the completion of the registration process.
It takes me about 15 mn if there is no waiting queue.
HOW AND WHERE TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS DURING EXPATRIATION?
Now that you have a nice apartment, you’re starting to want someone to share your adventures!!The problem is, you don’t have the smallest idea where to make new friends!!
During your time in high school and college, having a group of friends was relatively easy. You were all the same age, participated in the same activities, and grew up in the same area.
When you are expatriate, this is different.
You’re out in the real world and meeting people in a new city and country means taking on a whole new approach to friend making. If you’re working at a company or school, then your friends will likely be your new coworkers.
If not, then the whole “friend thing” becomes a lot more complicated. You don’t want to live in your Facebook past but you’re unsure of how to continue in your overseas future.
Before you retreat into a cavern of loneliness and despair, give these following tips a try:
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Join an expat organization
Give online friends a whirl. Bloggers are great people to know and tend to be in touch with their community. I advice you to join an online expat organization such as Accra expat and Internations organization. Do a quick search for people writing about your area and see if you can arrange to meet for coffee. Check for local meetups, expat get-togethers, or Couchsurfing events. Of course, make sure to meet up in public areas the first couple or times.
There is comfort in familiarity and while you’re on a grand overseas adventure, it can be wonderful to talk with a group of people from your home country.
Before I left France, I had already searched on internet some expat and french organisation. I had found “Accra Accueil” which deals with meeting others, doing activities and sharing passions, discovering the city… It was perfect for the beginnings.
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Take a class in something you’re passionate about!!
Whether it’s cooking, sewing, dancing, painting, yoga, or language you’re sure to meet people who have similar interests as you.
In accra there are yoga lessons, zumba, pilate, massage….
I will give you the internet adresses in my blog expat activities part.
FINDING MOBILE TELEPHONE AND INTERNET ACCESS AT HOME
Internet access
You can register like me to Vodafone and get internet in one day. You need your telephone number (of the last owner of your appartment) and your ID.
In February 2016, for 85 GHC (21€) you get 20 GB and for 125 GHC you get 40 GB. I got my new internet box and they came to install it in 10 minutes at home free. It is the first internet access but if for downloader it will be 250 GHC and for an office access 400GHC).
See below the internet penetration and use in Ghana, Africa and in all over the world… interesting, no?
Mobile
Due to the unreliability of fixed-line infrastructure in Ghana, mobile phones are more widely used. The poor call quality of mobile phones, however, means that more people hold more than one mobile phone, usually with two or more different carriers. The various mobile carriers in Ghana have each been assigned a network code.
I ‘ve chosen Vodafone, I bought a new sim car for 5 cedis (1 €) and get a new samsung phone for 400 cedis (100€). Here are the other operators and emergency tel numbers.
For 10 cedis (2,5€) I can recharge it. Calling France is very cheap : with 10 cedis I can call at least 40 mn!!
| Mobile Carrier | Network Code(s) |
|---|---|
| Globacom | (023) |
| MTN | (024), (054), (055) |
| Tigo | (027), (057)(029) |
| Expresso | (028) |
| Vodafone | (020), (050) |
| Airtel | (026), (056) |
Emergency Numbers
| Institution | Emergency code |
|---|---|
| Police | 191 |
| Fire Service | 192 |
| Ambulance | 193 |
My expat life in Ghana, Africa 