International food is available in most large hotels and many restaurants serve a range of local traditional foods. In Accra there are also restaurants serving Middle Eastern, Chinese, French and other European cuisine.

Things to know: On the coast, prawns and other seafood are popular and very tasty.

National specialities:
• Kenkey (hot peppers and fried fish, eaten mostly in the Accra region).
• Akyeke (cassava couscous served with avocado).
• Fufu (pounded cassava beans, yam, plantain or rice, usually accompanying traditional soups (palmnut, groundnut), kontomere and okro (stews)).
• Fante fante (a palm oil stew with small fish, popular in the central regions).
• Akrantee (bushmeat).

National drinks:
• Pito (a beer brewed in the Northern region made from millet).
• Zom koom (toasted millet flour in water).
• Palm wine.
• Coconut juice.

Legal drinking age: 18.

Tipping: Tipping is permitted; it is not usually included in the bill.

In Accra and other major centres, there are nightclubs with Western popular music and Afro beat. Concerts can be seen at the National Theatre in Accra. The School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon often hosts drama, poetry and cultural dancing shows. Foreign and Ghanaian films can be seen at the Ghana Film Theatre and Executive Film House in Accra.

Almost all commodities, including luxury items, can be found in the shops and markets. Artefacts from the Ashanti region and northern Ghana can be bought along with attractive handmade gold and silver jewellery. Modern and old African art is also available (although prices are high), in particular, Ashanti stools and brass weights formerly used to measure gold. Earthenware pots, leatherwork, locally woven shirts and Bolgatanga baskets woven from multicoloured raffia are sold in all the northern markets. Ghana is home to the traditional Kente cloth. Shopping tours are organised by the Ministry of Tourism (see Contact Addresses).

Shopping hours: Mon-Tues, Thurs-Fri 0800-1200 and 1400-1730; Wed and Sat 0800-1300.