Smoking in Ghana happens in the open air: at Accra’s Kotoka International Airport, the landside forecourt outside Terminal 3 — before check-in and security — is where you light up. Ghana’s law allows designated indoor smoking areas; Kotoka has not built one, so the terminal interior and the airside lounges are all smoke-free.
Ghana Airports Compared: Before and After Security
Before security, you can always smoke outside: at a designated smoking area where there is one, or outside the airport property, beyond the terminal kerb and car parks. After security, Yes means there is a smoking area past security and a dash means none is listed. Each airport’s page has the details.
| Airport | Before security | After security |
|---|---|---|
| Accra (ACC) | Yes | – |
For international travel through Ghana, Accra (ACC) is Ghana’s main international gateway.
How Ghanaian Airport Smoking Works
Ghana’s Public Health Act 2012 permits designated indoor smoking areas; Kotoka operates none:
- No indoor or airside smoking room at Terminal 3 — airside lounges are non-smoking
- Smoking is at outdoor areas landside, outside the terminal before security
- E-cigarettes are not specifically regulated nationally — treat vaping like smoking (outdoors)
The Hub
Kotoka International Airport (ACC). Ghana’s main gateway; Terminal 3 handles international flights. No airside smoking room exists (the Adinkra and Akwaaba Pearl lounges are non-smoking, and Akwaaba also bans vaping). Smoking is outdoors landside, so transit/departing passengers must smoke before security.
Tips for Smokers at Ghanaian Airports
- Accra Terminal 3 has no airside smoking — smoke outdoors before security
- The airside lounges are non-smoking — don’t count on them
- Vaping is unregulated nationally but treat it like smoking at the airport (outdoors)
- Step outside the terminal building to smoke, away from entrances