Can an Indian Drive in Ghana? — IDP Recommended + Switch to the Right

Ghana is one of West Africa’s more relaxed places to self-drive, but for an Indian visitor it still asks for two adjustments before the road feels normal: which side you’re on, and how much slower everything moves than the numbers suggest.

Can you drive on an Indian licence?

Yes. An Indian licence holder can drive in Ghana, and an International Driving Permit is recommended — rental agencies and police prefer to see one alongside your Indian licence and passport. The IDP is just a recognised translation of your existing licence; sort it in India before you fly, since you cannot obtain one in Accra.

The biggest adjustment: switching to the right

India drives on the left; Ghana drives on the right. This is the change most likely to catch you out, and the danger window is your first day — joining a roundabout that now flows the other way, pulling out of a forecourt, or a reflex glance the wrong direction. The driver sits on the left and overtaking is on the left. Take a slow first hour away from Accra’s traffic until “keep right” stops feeling backwards.

Speeds are low, and traffic does the rest

Limits are 50 km/h in town, 80 km/h on rural roads and around 100 km/h on the best highways. In practice the limit is rarely your constraint: Accra and Kumasi traffic is dense and unpredictable, and rural roads bring potholes, livestock, market crowds spilling onto the carriageway, and slow trucks. Drive to what you can see, keep well back, and avoid long rural stretches after dark when many vehicles run unlit. Petrol is around $1.05 a litre.

Before you collect the car

Carry your Indian licence, IDP and passport together; sensible kit includes a warning triangle and first-aid items, which roadside checks may look for. Ghana’s drink-drive limit is 0.08, but enforcement and road risk make a strict “don’t drink and drive” the right call. The general emergency line is 112. See the full local detail on our Ghana driving guide, confirm your paperwork with the Driving Permit Checker, and read who pays driving fines abroad for how penalties follow you home.