GHANA · SECURITY
Ghana’s security picture splits in three: street crime and fraud in the cities, illegal gold mining that poisons rivers, and tension along the northern border with Burkina Faso. The US State Department rates Ghana Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, on its four-level scale, and tells Americans to reconsider travel to parts of the north.
Key Facts
- US advice The State Department rates Ghana Level 2 overall, with Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) for northern border areas.
- Violent crime Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak reported 1,142 armed robbery cases, 5.1% fewer than the year before.
- Fraud Cybercrime losses hit 209.7 million Ghanaian cedis (about US$18.0 million) in nine months of 2026.
- Galamsey Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson told Parliament in February 2026 that the army will lead a river cleanup.
- The north Bawku, a northern town, was still under a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew in late August 2026.
In Plain English
- Ghana Police Service The national civil police, which prevents and detects crime and arrests offenders.
- CID The Criminal Investigations Department, the police unit for serious crime.
- Ghana Armed Forces The army, navy and air force, active in the north.
- BNI The Bureau of National Intelligence, Ghana’s domestic civilian intelligence agency.
- NACOC The Narcotics Control Commission, the state body for illegal drugs.
- NAIMOS The government task force against illegal mining.
Who Keeps Ghana Safe
The Ghana Police Service is the national civil police, and its own website says it is mandated to maintain law and order. Its functions include preventing and detecting crime and arresting offenders.
The Criminal Investigations Department, or CID, is the police unit for serious crime. Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak praised it in March 2026 and credited targeted police operations on major roads for fewer highway attacks.
The Ghana Armed Forces deal with threats beyond ordinary policing, above all in the north. In May 2026 the army said it had concluded Exercise Storm Shield 2026, a joint drill with the navy and air force aimed at violent extremism and terrorism.
The Bureau of National Intelligence, or BNI, is the domestic civilian intelligence agency. It was previously called the National Intelligence Bureau, and President John Mahama signed the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026 on 31 March 2026, which restores the BNI name.
The Narcotics Control Commission, called NACOC, is the state body for illegal drugs. Separately, Ghana and Burkina Faso agreed a counter-narcotics pact in February 2026, one of seven agreements.
Street Crime and Armed Robbery
The Information Services Department, a government agency, published the Interior Minister’s figures on 30 March 2026. They show 1,142 armed robbery cases, 5.1% fewer than the year before, and highway robberies down from 312 to 228, a fall of about 27%.
The report did not state the exact period and gave no murder figure. Ghana’s police and the Ghana Statistical Service, the national statistics office, list no full national crime series for 2025 on their websites, so these counts are the best official numbers we could find.
In an earlier statement the Interior Minister said police had recorded 628 robberies and 340 gun-related murders by July 2025. Those figures cover a different period and definition, so they should not be added to the 1,142.
Petty theft and street robbery are the risks a visitor can most easily reduce with ordinary care. Our guide to whether Ghana is safe for expats sets crime beside road deaths and the curfew in Bawku.
Cybercrime and Romance Scams
Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority, the government body that regulates and coordinates cyber security, said on 24 October 2026 that cybercrime losses reached GH¢209.7 million (about US$18.0 million) from January to September 2026. GH¢ is the symbol of the Ghanaian cedi, and the conversion uses about GH¢11.68 per US$1 on 12 November 2026.
The Authority recorded 4,938 incidents in those nine months, and its Director-General Divine Selasi Agbeti said many victims never report. Victims can report by short code 292, and our report on Ghana cybercrime losses has the detail.
A romance scam is a fraud in which a stranger builds an online relationship and then asks for money. The Authority has not published a split of losses by type of fraud, so we cannot say how much comes from romance scams.
Galamsey and Polluted Rivers
Galamsey is Ghana’s name for illegal small-scale gold mining, and it is the part of mining that works without a licence or breaks the rules. Our explainer on galamsey covers how it works and why gold is at stake.
Miners dig riverbeds and banks, and the soil they wash turns rivers brown, which is why the state aims its clean-up at waterbodies. On 25 February 2026 Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson told Parliament that the Ghana Armed Forces would lead a nationwide waterbody cleanup in designated mining areas.
He said the government task force against illegal mining, known as NAIMOS, would step up its operations against illegal mining in waterbodies and forest reserves. Enforcement carries risk, because illegal sites can be armed and remote.
The Northern Border With Burkina Faso
The US advisory says terrorist groups have carried out attacks in Burkina Faso, including near Ghana’s border. On 14 February 2026 eight members of a Ghanaian tomato traders’ association died in a jihadist attack at Titao in northern Burkina Faso, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed.
After a two-day visit to Burkina Faso in February 2026, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced that Ghana and Burkina Faso had reactivated their Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation and signed seven agreements. They cover border consultations, cross-border cooperation and counter-narcotics, and both sides agreed to design a strengthened bilateral security framework.
The advisory asks Americans to reconsider travel to the northern border in the Upper East Region, the Northeast and Upper West regions, and land west of the N12 highway, a main north-south road, in the Savannah Region. It gives crime as the reason.
Communal Conflict in the North
Bawku is a town in the Upper East Region where a dispute over the chiefship, between the Kusasi and Mamprusi ethnic communities, has killed hundreds of people since 2021. The exact toll differs between sources.
On Monday 27 April 2026 the Ghana Armed Forces said an escorted convoy of about 140 civilians travelling from Bawku to Bolgatanga was ambushed near Binduri in the Upper East Region. Three civilians and seven attackers died, and soldiers arrested suspects.
The Interior Ministry set a night curfew for Bawku Municipality and its surroundings from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and it remained in force in late August 2026. We found no order lifting it.
What the Government Has Done in 2026
Dated Steps
- February Ghana and Burkina Faso reactivated their joint commission and signed seven agreements.
- 25 February The finance minister told Parliament the army would lead a waterbody cleanup.
- 31 March The president signed the law that restores the name Bureau of National Intelligence.
- 27 April The army reported the ambush of a civilian convoy near Binduri.
- May The army concluded Exercise Storm Shield 2026, a joint counter-terrorism drill.
- August The Bawku night curfew, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., stayed in force.
The US Travel Advisory in Detail
The State Department’s advisory for Ghana, reissued in July 2026, sits at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution. It names crime as the reason for the warning on the north.
The Level 3 zones, Reconsider Travel, are the northern areas listed above. Check the live page at travel.state.gov before you book, because advisories change.
Safe-Travel Practices for US Readers
Practical Steps
- Before you go Read the live advisory and enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, the State Department’s free alert service.
- In the north Stay out of the border areas the advisory lists, and respect the Bawku curfew.
- In the city Keep phones and cards out of sight, and use licensed taxis or ride apps.
- On the road Travel between cities by day, because night driving is harder to make safe.
- Online Never send money to a contact you have not met, and report fraud on 292.
- Gold Never buy gold from street sellers, because unlicensed trade feeds galamsey.
What It Means for US Readers
For a traveler, the main choice is where to go. Accra and the south sit under the Level 2 advice, while the far north carries the stronger warning.
For readers with family or business ties, online fraud and river pollution are the issues that move fastest in 2026. The Cyber Security Authority put nine-month fraud losses at about US$18.0 million, and the state has promised a military-led river cleanup.
Our Ghana news hub carries the latest reporting from the country. Our guide to Accra covers the capital for visitors and newcomers.
What Is Not Known
Open Points
- The advisory We could not open the State Department page on 12 November, so the level and areas come from reports of the July 2026 text.
- Crime totals No full-year 2025 national crime series was found, and the 1,142 figure has no stated period.
- Galamsey data Task-force counts of destroyed sites, arrests and licence revocations circulated in 2026, but we could not confirm them in a primary document.
- River pollution We found no official 2026 figure for river turbidity that we could confirm.
- Bawku We do not know the full toll of the Bawku conflict, and the sources differ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ghana Safe for US Travelers?
The State Department rates Ghana Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, overall, in an advisory reissued in July 2026. It tells Americans to reconsider travel to parts of the north.
Which Parts of Ghana Does the US Advise Against?
The advisory asks Americans to reconsider travel to the northern border in the Upper East Region, the Northeast and Upper West regions, and land west of the N12 highway in the Savannah Region. It cites crime.
What Is Galamsey?
Galamsey is Ghana’s name for illegal small-scale gold mining. Miners dig riverbeds and banks, and the soil they wash turns rivers brown.
How Big Is Cybercrime in Ghana?
Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority reported losses of GH¢209.7 million (about US$18.0 million) from January to September 2026. It logged 4,938 incidents and says many victims never report.
Is There a Curfew in Bawku?
The Interior Ministry’s night curfew for Bawku runs from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and it remained in force in late August 2026. We found no order lifting it.
Who Investigates Crime in Ghana?
The Ghana Police Service, including its Criminal Investigations Department, handles crime. The Bureau of National Intelligence covers domestic intelligence, and the Narcotics Control Commission covers illegal drugs.
Sources: US Department of State, Ghana Travel Advisory (travel.state.gov), July 2026; Ghana Information Services Department, Interior Minister lauds CID as highway attacks decline, 30 March 2026; Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs, agreements with Burkina Faso, February 2026; Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on the Titao attack, February 2026; Ghana Armed Forces, Exercise Storm Shield 2026, May 2026; Ghana Police Service, mandate; Ghana Cyber Security Authority statement, 24 October 2026; Ghana Armed Forces statement on the Binduri convoy, 27 April 2026; Ministry of Finance statement to Parliament, 25 February 2026; Ghana Ministry of the Interior, Bawku curfew instruments, 2026; Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026 (signed 31 March 2026); exchange rate GH¢11.68 per US$1, 12 November 2026.
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