Ghana has embarked on a special initiative called #YearOfReturn where it’s inviting the diaspora to visit Ghana and explore their roots and get acquainted with their past.
If you’re visiting Ghana, it may take a while to get acclimated to the region but advances in technology and use of mobile apps can help make the transition a bit easier.
Here are some apps which are essentially in getting settled and finding your way around the city and country.
Communication
The most used communication in Ghana is WhatsApp. Individuals and businesses are likely to use this Facebook-owned app to communicate and text with each other on a daily basis.
An alternative is Telegram but WhatsApp is currently the most widely used communication app. If you get a local SIM card or will use current carrier, WhatsApp is the best way to communicate without having to use the standard SMS service.
It’s available on iOS and Google Playstore
Money/Finance
ExpressPay is currently the most widely used consumer fintech app at the moment. With ExpressPay, a user has the ability to purchase Mobile Data, Internet data, make a transfer to a bank account and do many other things.
A user can either use their local bank account card or mobile money wallet account to make payments.
Available on iOS and Google Playstore
Transportation
Ghana’s public transportation system is not really the best in the world. You do have the option of hailing a local taxi or getting into a “trotro” to get around the city if you fancy your chances.
Thankfully, ride-hailing apps are available for easier transportation and convenience. The current apps we would recommend are Uber or Bolt (formally Taxify).
Riders can alternate between these two apps depending on their preferences.
The Uber app is available on iOS/Playstore and the Bolt app is also available on iOS/Playstore.
Food Delivery
Sometimes you don’t really want to go out for a meal and would rather food delivered to your place of work or residence. There’s a couple of apps which you could check out: Jumia Food and Homechow.
Both apps have major restaurants listed for selection and ordering of food. Users can select from different foods including Pizza, Waakye, Jollof etc.
Prices vary on both apps and there’s a delivery fee plus for food orders.
(Google Maps is also handy looking for different restaurants but there’s no option for food delivery directly through the app)
Jumia Food is on the iOS Store and Google Playstore. Homechow is on the iOS Store and Google Playstore.
Events
While you’re in town, there may be a number of interesting events around the city worth checking out. You can check out EgoTickets to get a list of events that may pique your interest. EgoTickets is a local ticket and event platform where you can check out events and make online payments for tickets to those events.
Eventbrite is another alternative to check out for a list of events.
