The symposium will take place at the Alisa Hotel North Ridge, located at 21 Dr. Issert Road – North Ridge, Accra – Ghana.

The assigned conference rooms for each session will be indicated closer to the time.

Arrival airport:

Kotoka International Airport (KIA): www.accra-airport.com (information on airlines, currency exchange, tourism etc.)

Visa requirements:

All visitors to Ghana must have a valid passport or legal travel documents, and must check beforehand entry visa requirements, by clicking here. Note these are subject to change and it is strongly recommended to verify these conditions at the closest Consulate/ High Commission or Embassy of Ghana. Visa applicant’s passport must have validity of at least six (6) months.

Nationalities subject to visa

If your country of nationality is not exempt from the visa requirement, please apply for a visa at the closest Ghanaian Consulate/High Commission to you, ideally at least 30 days prior to leaving for Ghana. To receive an invitation letter from the organising committee for your visa application, fill out this form and send it to  symposium@geoblueplanet.org.

Special Facilitation of Visa on Arrival for Symposium Participants

If special requirements are satisfied, the citizens of countries without diplomatic or consular mission of Ghana travelling on short notice may obtain a visa on arrival. Visa is granted on arrival for holders of a copy of a pre-arranged approval from the Ghanaian Immigration Service. We are working with our local organisers – the University of Energy and Natural Resources and the University of Ghana to arrange for these pre-approval letters.

Delegates who require this service of visa on arrival should fill out the Visa on Arrival Form and send the form with a copy of their passport to symposium@geoblueplanet.org by 29 September 2022, and will be issued an official letter from the Ghanaian Immigration Services authorising the visa on arrival. Please note that this letter does not exempt from visa fees of 150 USD and all participants will be expected to cover this visa fee on arrival in Ghana.

Vaccination requirements

All arriving passengers at Kotoka International Airport will undergo temperature screening, Yellow Fever Card verification and COIVD-19 vaccination certificate verification as required.

1) COVID-19 entry requirements

For latest information, please visit https://www.gacl.com.gh/updated_guidelines   

Arriving Passengers

Non-Ghanaians

At the point of embarkation, all travellers under 18 years must provide evidence of full COVID-19 vaccination status to the respective airline before boarding.

Ghanaians and foreign residents in Ghana

Travellers 18 years and above arriving in Ghana will be required to provide evidence of full vaccination at the point of embarkation and upon arrival at Kotoka International Airport (KIA). Partially vaccinated or unvaccinated will be required to present a negative 48-hours PCR test results to the airline before embarkation and upon arrival in Ghana and will undergo COVID-19 testing at the KIA.

Departing Passengers:

Passengers departing from Accra will be required to adhere to COVID-19 testing requirements of their country of destination. Departing passengers will undergo temperature screening at the entrance of Terminal 3 departures.

2) Yellow Fever International Vaccination Certificate

The Yellow Fever vaccine is mandatory for all travellers (at least 10 days before date of travel) and an international Yellow Fever vaccination certificate must be presented upon arrival in Ghana. Babies younger than 9 months are exempt from this obligation.

3) Health Insurance

Health insurance is the sole responsibility of each participant or his / her institution. GEO Blue Planet will not assume any responsibility for life and health insurance, nor for expenses related to medical treatment or accidental events.

There shall be provision of lunch, morning and afternoon refreshments for the scheduled breaks on each day of the conference for confirmed participants.

The Symposium will be in English with live interpretation English to French available for the Symposium plenary sessions.

Participants are advised to secure and finalise their own accommodation reservations directly with the selected hotel of choice through the mentioned contact details. Participants are advised to secure hotel accommodation as soon as possible.
Participants will be responsible for the payment of hotel accommodation and any incidental expenses (such as telephone calls, laundry and room service) incurred for the duration of their stay at the hotel.

Please ensure that all expenses are settled prior to checking out of your accommodation.

Some suggestions can be found below:

The event will not be livestreamed.

Recordings of the plenary sessions will be made available after the event via the GEO Blue Planet Youtube channel

Most hotels offer airport shuttle services. There is also a choice of private and pooled, taxis, uber, bolt, buses and car rentals. For more information, click here.

The national currency of Ghana is the Ghana Cedi – currency sign: GH₵. The current rate of exchange for USD is approximately USD 1 = GH₵7.06; Euro is approximately EUR 1 = GH₵7.70

Foreign currency can be exchanged at banks, hotels and forex bureau. All major international credit cards are generally accepted in hotels, shops and restaurants.

Banks in Accra are open from Monday to Friday, from 08H30 to 16H30.

There are currency exchange counters located in the arrival and departure areas of Kotoka International Airport, Accra, Ghana.

Ghana uses power outlets and plugs of types D & G as illustrated in the image on the right: