Contraception
Provided through public facilities and partly covered by national health insurance, with community compounds serving rural areas.
Contraception is provided through public facilities and covered in part by the national health insurance scheme, which added family planning services. Community-based health planning and services compounds bring contraception to rural communities.
Key points
| Free or subsidised | Through public facilities and the national health insurance scheme |
|---|---|
| Community-based distribution | Community health officers supply methods at the doorstep in CHPS zones |
| Pharmacies | Widely used, including for emergency contraception |
In practice
- Use the CHPS compound nearest to you: services are free and closer than the district hospital.
- Ask about implants if you want several years of cover without repeat visits.
Worth knowing
Emergency contraception is widely sold but frequently misused as a regular method. Ask about a long-acting option if you are using it more than occasionally.
The general article: Contraception · Compare with another country
Abortion
Section 58 of the Criminal Offences Act sets comparatively broad grounds, yet low awareness of them is the main barrier; post-abortion care is owed to everyone.
Section 58 of the Criminal Offences Act permits abortion on comparatively broad grounds: rape, defilement of a person with a mental disability, incest, risk to physical or mental health, and serious fetal abnormality. Ghana's law is among the more permissive in the region, but awareness of it remains low among both patients and providers.
Key points
| Relatively broad grounds | Rape, incest, defilement, foetal abnormality and risk to physical or mental health |
|---|---|
| No police report | A report is not a legal precondition for care after rape |
| Standards | National standards and protocols for comprehensive abortion care exist |
| Awareness | Low awareness of the legal grounds is the main practical barrier |
In practice
- Ask at a public facility for comprehensive abortion care: the national protocol covers it.
- You do not need a police report to obtain care after a sexual assault.
Worth knowing
Ghana's grounds are among the widest in the region, yet most people believe abortion is entirely illegal. That belief, not the law, drives people to unsafe providers.
The general article: Abortion · Compare with another country
Parents: a teenager’s first relationship
Ghana's approach is to set up adolescent health corners within existing clinics rather than separate youth services, backed by the National Health Insurance Scheme, which covers registered members including young people. Contraceptives are free or cheap at public facilities and widely sold in pharmacies. The recurring finding in evaluations is that young people avoid public clinics because of how they expect to be treated, not because of cost.
Frequently asked questions
Does health insurance cover a young person in Ghana?
Yes, if registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme; registration is free for those under eighteen. It covers consultations and many services, though not every contraceptive method. Family planning services are in any case provided free or at low cost at public facilities.
What is an adolescent health corner?
A designated space within a health facility, with staff trained to see young people, intended to make services less intimidating than a general outpatient queue. Coverage is uneven; ask at the district health directorate which facilities have one.
The general article: Parents: a teenager’s first relationship · Compare with another country
Sexual orientation
The criminal code criminalises unnatural carnal knowledge as a misdemeanour. A much broader bill, which would criminalise identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and the promotion or funding of related activity, has been passed by Parliament and awaits presidential assent; its final status has been contested and should be checked before relying on any summary. Extortion and family expulsion are the most common harms in practice.
Same-sex conduct is already an offence in Ghana as unnatural carnal knowledge, a misdemeanour. Beyond that sits a much broader bill: passed by Parliament in February 2024, it lapsed when Parliament was dissolved before the 2024 election, was reintroduced as a private member's bill in March 2025, and was passed again by Parliament on 29 May 2026. It provides for imprisonment for identifying as LGBTQ and longer sentences for promotion or support. As of mid-2026 it awaited presidential action, with the President saying it would first be examined by his legal advisers.
Key points
| Criminal law | Misdemeanour under the criminal code; a far broader bill has passed Parliament and awaits assent |
|---|
Recent changes
Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill again on 29 May 2026 after it lapsed with the 2024 dissolution and was reintroduced in March 2025; presidential assent was still pending as of mid-2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is the broader bill law?
Not at the time of writing. Parliament passed it on 29 May 2026, and the President said in June 2026 that it would be examined by the attorney general and his legal advisers before any further step. Until it is assented to and gazetted, the existing misdemeanour provision is the operative law.
The general article: Sexual orientation · Compare with another country
Drugs and controlled substances
Under a 2020 statute possession and trafficking are penalised, and treatment services sit mostly in the big cities.
The Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020 (Act 1019) is the governing statute. The 2020 Act replaced imprisonment with a fine for possession of a narcotic drug for personal use, a significant shift in the region, and created a Narcotics Control Commission with a health mandate. Cultivation of cannabis for industrial and medicinal purposes may be licensed. Trafficking remains punishable by at least five years.
Key points
| Main statute | The Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020 (Act 1019) |
|---|---|
| Personal possession | Fine of 200 to 500 penalty units, with imprisonment only if the fine is not paid (Act 1019, section 37); the court may also order treatment (section 45) |
Where to go
- Narcotics Control Commission, and psychiatric hospitals in Accra, Ankaful and Pantang
The general article: Drugs and controlled substances · Compare with another country
Alcohol and tobacco
Tobacco control inside the 2012 Public Health Act, and an informal spirit market that regulation barely reaches.
Ghana's Public Health Act covers tobacco control, with graphic warnings and a ban on advertising and public smoking.
Ghana regulates tobacco through Part VI of the Public Health Act of 2012 rather than a standalone statute: graphic warnings, advertising bans and smoke-free public places. Compliance in hotels, restaurants and transport is reasonable in Accra and weaker elsewhere. Alcohol policy runs into akpeteshie, the locally distilled spirit, which is produced and sold largely outside any regulatory or tax net.
Recent changes
The Food and Drugs Authority has strengthened enforcement of graphic warnings and advertising restrictions, and has moved to bring shisha and vaping products under the same framework as tobacco.
Frequently asked questions
Where is smoking prohibited in Ghana?
In enclosed public places, workplaces, public transport and health and education facilities, under the Public Health Act. Designated smoking areas are permitted in some settings. Enforcement is visible in Accra and Kumasi and much lighter in smaller towns.
What is akpeteshie?
A distilled palm or cane spirit, widely produced at small scale and sold cheaply. It is legal but largely untaxed and unregulated, so strength varies and quality control is minimal. It accounts for a large share of the alcohol actually consumed in the country.
The general article: Alcohol and tobacco · Compare with another country
General sources
- Ghana.gov — official government portal