This November 2026 guide covers the key costs for anyone planning a December trip to Ghana, including exchange rates, petrol and diesel prices, inflation, mobile data, new banknotes and public transport.
Visitors arriving from London, New York, Toronto or Amsterdam will find that December budgets depend on understanding the difference between official and retail exchange rates, as well as how fuel and transport prices are set.
Cedi exchange rates
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) publishes daily interbank foreign-exchange rates on its portal. Figures reported on 11 November 2026 showed the cedi trading at GH¢11.64 to the US dollar, GH¢15.55 to the pound and GH¢12.98 to the euro on the interbank market. The retail rate was about GH¢12.08 to the dollar.
The cedi’s fall against the dollar since January had narrowed to 10.07 per cent by the end of October.
In practice, visitors face three rates. The BoG interbank rate of about GH¢11.64 per US$1 is the wholesale benchmark. Commercial banks and card providers generally charge slightly more, in addition to any foreign-transaction fee imposed by the customer’s home bank. Licensed forex bureaux in Accra were offering about GH¢12.15 per US$1 on 11 November.
The cedi strengthened in early November as foreign-exchange liquidity was supported by the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod). Gross international reserves stood at $13.3 billion, equivalent to 4.8 months of import cover.
Fuel, inflation and mobile data
Under the deregulated downstream petroleum market supervised by the National Petroleum Authority, Oil Marketing Companies review pump prices on the 1st and 16th of each month. Prices reflect international refined-product benchmarks, the cedi exchange rate and statutory levies.
During the 9-16 November 2026 pricing window, Star Oil reduced petrol by 38 pesewas, from GH¢16.35 to GH¢15.97 per litre, while diesel fell by 8 pesewas, from GH¢18.45 to GH¢18.37. JP priced petrol at GH¢15.95 and diesel at GH¢18.35 per litre.
The next key dates are 1 and 16 December. The government says it has absorbed a little over GH¢2 billion to limit pump prices, while a separate GH¢1-a-litre diesel levy waiver ends on 30 November 2026.
Headline year-on-year inflation rose from 5.2 per cent in September to 5.5 per cent in October 2026, according to the Ghana Statistical Service. Food inflation fell to 2.8 per cent, transport inflation reached 14.1 per cent and services prices increased three times faster than goods. The Bank of Ghana has reduced its policy rate from 28 per cent to 14 per cent, although borrowing remains costly for many businesses.
After registering a local SIM or eSIM with a passport or Ghana Card, visitors can check live prepaid data offers through USSD. MTN Ghana uses `138#` for standard and non-expiry bundles, `141#` for Just4U and `170#` for Mobile Money. Telecel Ghana uses `700#`, `533#` for Made4Me and `110#` for Telecel Cash. AT uses `111#` for data and `110#` for ATMoney.
New notes and December transport
President John Dramani Mahama is scheduled to launch the Bank of Ghana’s Ghana Heritage Series banknotes on 12 November 2026. They represent the first full redesign of the cedi since 2007 and are expected to reach commercial banks in early December after a two-week ATM calibration period.
Existing GH¢1 to GH¢200 notes remain legal tender with no exchange deadline. The Bank of Ghana has also warned against spraying, stepping on or folding notes into gift bouquets at events, citing Section 56 of the Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242), which criminalises defacing currency.
The Ghana Private Road Transport Union implemented an 8 per cent nationwide fare increase on 26 September 2026. Aayalolo buses serve the Amasaman, Kasoa, Adenta and Dawhenya corridors during morning contraflow hours. An early-November strike by Ablekuma-Pokuase drivers followed disputes over terminal charges exceeding GH¢45 a day.
Uber, Bolt and Yango operate in Accra and Kumasi, with December traffic bringing dynamic surge pricing. Many drivers prefer cash or Mobile Money to card payments.
