Africa
Ghana.
Ghana's 1992 Constitution lists duties of citizens, including a duty to contribute to the well-being of the community where the citizen lives. The Criminal Code of 1960 (Act 29) imposes duties to prevent harm on people who stand in defined relationships or have undertaken to help. National service is organized by statute, most recently the National Service Authority Act, 2024.
Is there a legal duty to help a stranger?
LimitedThe Criminal Code (Act 29) section 78 states a person is under a duty to prevent harm to another where there is a duty to supply necessaries under section 79, or a duty arising from an enactment, office or employment, a lawful order, or an agreement or undertaking. Section 79 names spouses, parents, guardians, jailers, and people who have agreed to supply necessaries. The sections reviewed contain no general duty on a stranger to rescue; the consolidated text used is cut off at the right margin in places, so exact wording should be checked against the official gazette.
Are people who help protected?
None foundNo Good Samaritan or rescuer-immunity provision was found in the Criminal Code text reviewed, and no other Ghanaian statute with such a provision was located. This is not an exhaustive search of Ghanaian law.
How the government promotes giving and service
Ways to give and volunteer
Ghana has a long record of community and youth volunteering alongside registered NGOs, and many local services are run by churches and community groups. Check that a group is properly registered before giving money.
Check a charity before you give
The state registry for companies and other entities; ask any group for its registration documents, and note Ghana has no single public NGO search I could verify.
Give your time
Give money, blood or a donation
In an emergency or a crisis
Before you act
- Advance-fee and mobile-money scams are common, so never pay a fee to volunteer or send money to a personal account for an unknown cause. Meet groups in person, and ask for registration papers and references.
- Foreign volunteers usually need the right visa and a host organization, so confirm the rules with the Ghana Immigration Service before you travel.
This list covers a few national starting points, not every local group, and sites can change. Checked 2026-10-28. Listing an organization is not an endorsement, and none of them has endorsed this site. Some official sites block automatic checks, so a link may need a second try.
One thing worth knowing
Article 41 of the Constitution writes community well-being into a list of citizen duties, placing a civic obligation beside constitutional rights.
What this does not mean
This guide did not verify how courts apply Article 41, and did not locate the text of the Ghana Red Cross Society's founding Act. The brief's references to the Companies Act 1963 and incorporated trustees, and to tax treatment of donations, could not be verified from primary sources (the legal portal GhaLII blocked automated access), so they are omitted. Texts reviewed are consolidated English copies, not legal advice. This is a plain-language summary of public sources, not legal advice, and it does not rank countries. No government named here has endorsed this site. Not reviewed by a lawyer. Statutes were read in public sources and may have changed. Last checked October 26, 2026.