Ghana is one of the more manageable West African corridors, thanks largely to a direct flight and English documentation, but where in the country the death happened still shapes the cost significantly.
The advantage of a direct flight
British Airways flies directly from Kotoka International Airport in Accra to London Heathrow. That single fact removes a layer of routing complexity that adds cost across much of the rest of West Africa, where connections through a third country are often unavoidable. It’s a genuine structural advantage for this corridor, and English-language documentation throughout removes the translation cost that applies almost everywhere else in the region too.
Accra versus the rest of the country
Ghana is a large country, and its forensic and administrative capacity sits in Accra. A death in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, in Cape Coast, or in the northern regions needs a transfer to the capital for post-mortem at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and for Ghana Health Service processing. Cold storage capacity outside Accra is limited, which is why that transfer should ideally happen within 24 to 48 hours of death, before delay becomes its own added cost.
When investigation is required
A natural death in Accra, with documentation already in order, can move through in 10 to 14 days. Add a police investigation, and the Ghana Police Service report plus Ghana Health Service review can push the timeline out to 21 to 35 days. Every additional week adds ongoing mortuary storage and coordination cost, so this is the single biggest variable in an otherwise efficient corridor.
The documentation chain
The Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry issues the certified death certificate, Ghana Health Service issues the export permit, and the British High Commission in Accra, reachable on +233 30 221 3250, registers the death with UK authorities and can advise on current requirements.
Cremation is available, but uncommon
Cremation exists in Accra, though it isn’t widely practised in Ghanaian culture, and ashes repatriation is far less common here than a full-body return. A family expecting it as a lower-cost default should confirm what’s actually available before relying on it.
Read more on what causes cargo delays and how they’re managed, or see the full Ghana repatriation guide.
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