Accra - Post Report Question and Answers
Is it easy to make friends with locals here? Are there any prejudices or any ethnic groups who might feel uncomfortable here?
We've made friends with locals at every post we've lived at, except here. Supposedly Ghanaians are very friendly but I don't think that kindness is extended to expats (unless you're paying them a salary). If we lived in a village or as a part of the local community we'd eventually be welcomed but our red plates and living in Cantonments puts a target on our backs for scams and theft. The few times I've tried to befriend our kids schoolmates' parents, the relationship fails or is never reciprocated - seems we don't have anything to offer their lavish lifestyle. Caveat - no direct experience with FSO/FSN interactions. - Aug 2024
Ghanaians are welcoming. It is possible to integrate into the local culture. - Sep 2023
Ghanaians are generally friendly and welcoming. I became close with several local embassy employees and my domestic employee. - Nov 2022
Sure. - Sep 2022
The locals are very friendly. - Mar 2022
Ghanians are very friendly and outgoing. There is still some distance there though, maybe due to such an emphasis on family or tribal bonds. Have only been invited to a Ghanian home a handful of times. - Nov 2019
This is a tough one to answer because I feel like I haven't tried as hard as I might have to get outside the expat community. LCS has some Ghanaian students but not a whole lot. I would say it is very easy to become friendly acquaintances with Ghanaians, but takes a conscious effort to move beyond the expat bubble to make true friends. Ghanaians are warm, welcoming, friendly people, and I have really enjoyed living here, but I don't feel like any of the Ghanaians I know are truly friends. The Ghanaian I am closest to is the woman who cleans our house twice a week, and I will truly miss her when we leave, but I would be dishonest if I said we have become friends in the same sense I've become friends with other expats here. As for prejudices, I feel an uncomfortable deference is paid to white people in many cases. (I am white, so it's my discomfort I'm referring to. That might say more about me than about Ghanaians . . . I don't know). I don't feel like I can speak to the experiences of other ethnic groups. - May 2019
