For a Nigerian who wants a specific professional skill, Ghana is a practical place to get it. Accra is a short flight from Lagos and Abuja, classes are taught in English, and ECOWAS rules mean most Nigerians can enter without a visa. A short course, finished in one trip, fits around a job at home in a way that a year abroad never could.
This guide covers what you need to know before you book: the entry rules, which courses fit one visit, what the certificate is and isn’t, how fees work, and how to apply.
Why Nigerians choose Ghana for short courses
Distance. Lagos to Accra is roughly an hour by air, and many people travel by road through Benin and Togo. A trip to Ghana costs a fraction of the time and money of travelling to the UK, the US or South Africa for the same training.
Language and teaching style. Ghana teaches in English and uses the same professional software and standards Nigerian employers ask for: AutoCAD, Revit, Microsoft Project, PMI-aligned project management and ASIS security management. You won’t need to adjust to a new language or new terminology.
Course length. Most private training in Ghana, DIT’s included, is built around short certificate courses rather than semesters. That suits someone who can take two or three weeks of leave but not a year.
Focus. A short course is time away from distractions, in a classroom with an instructor, doing the work by hand every day. For software skills in particular, many people find a full-time block works better than squeezing evening study around a job in Lagos traffic.
Entry to Ghana: what Nigerians need
Nigeria and Ghana are both ECOWAS member states. Under the ECOWAS free movement arrangements, Nigerians can generally enter Ghana with a valid passport and stay for up to 90 days without a visa. Every intensive course at DIT is far shorter than that.
Ghana also requires travellers to show a yellow fever vaccination certificate on arrival, so check yours is valid before you book.
Entry rules change, and they are set by Ghana, not by any school. Confirm the current requirements with the Ghana Immigration Service before you travel. DIT does not issue visas or residence permits. If you plan to stay in Ghana beyond 90 days, for example to take a part-time course while living in Accra, ask the Immigration Service which permit you need.
Courses you can finish in one trip
DIT’s Intensive stream compresses the full curriculum of a course into a block of full-time classes. These are the courses built for a visitor:
| Course | Intensive length |
|---|---|
| Certified Protection Professional (CPP) Review Course | 5 days |
| Project Schedule | 2 days |
| MS Office Automation | 1 week |
| Security Management & Occupational Health and Safety | 2 weeks |
| AutoCAD 2D | 2 weeks |
| AutoCAD Electrical | 2 weeks |
| Revit Architecture (BIM) | 3 weeks |
| Project Planning & Management (PPM) | 3 weeks |
The international students page keeps this list current, so check it before you plan your dates.
A few notes on choosing among them:
- For engineering and construction, AutoCAD 2D is the usual starting point, and Revit follows once you can draft. Our guide to AutoCAD or Revit first explains the order. AutoCAD Electrical is for people who already use AutoCAD and draw control panels and wiring.
- For project roles, PPM covers the full project lifecycle with Microsoft Project, and Project Schedule is a two-day scheduling course for people already working on projects. DIT is not a PMI Registered Education Provider, and neither course awards a PMI credential. Our comparison of PMP, PRINCE2 and local certificates explains what each certification requires.
- For office and administrative roles, MS Office Automation covers Word, Excel and PowerPoint from the basics in one week.
- For security and safety supervisors, Security Management & Occupational Health and Safety is the foundation course and needs no prior security experience.
- For security managers, the CPP Review Course prepares experienced practitioners to sit the ASIS International examination. It suits people who already meet, or nearly meet, ASIS’s eligibility requirements. Read what the CPP means in West Africa first.
If you already live in Ghana, every course also runs in part-time morning, evening or weekend streams. See all short courses.
What your certificate is, and isn’t
Students who complete a course and pass its practical assessment receive a DIT Certificate of Completion. It is DIT’s own certificate. It records what you were trained and assessed on, and an employer in Lagos, Port Harcourt or Abuja can confirm it is genuine at dit.edu.gh/verify.
It is not a Nigerian national qualification, and DIT does not claim otherwise. If you need a certificate for a specific regulatory or licensing purpose in Nigeria, check with that body before you enrol.
Where a course prepares you for an international credential, that credential is awarded by its own body after its own examination. The clearest example is the ASIS CPP: it is issued by ASIS International, not by DIT, and carries the same weight in Nigeria as anywhere else. Each course page states which external credential, if any, the course prepares you for.
Fees and payment
Classroom course fees are listed in Ghana cedis on the Fees page. Exchange rates move, so work out the naira cost close to when you pay.
The most important rule is simple: don’t send money until admissions has confirmed your course, your start date, your total fee and the payment details that work from Nigeria. After you pay, send your payment reference to admissions so your enrolment can be processed.
Where you will study and stay
DIT’s campus is on the first floor of Obrapa House, Atico Junction, on the Kaneshie–Mallam Highway in Accra. Intensive courses are full-time, so stay somewhere with an easy daily commute to the campus. Ask admissions about the area before you book accommodation.
Can’t travel? Study online
If a trip isn’t possible, selected programmes have self-paced editions on DIT Virtual Learning that you can take from Nigeria. They are paid by card in US dollars. See Online Learning for what is currently open.
How to apply from Nigeria
- Choose your course and decide whether you’ll take it as an intensive course in one trip.
- Message admissions on WhatsApp (+233 50 020 9080) or by e-mail (info@dit.edu.gh) with the course and the dates you can travel. Admissions confirms the next start date and your total fee.
- Apply online. Admissions replies with what to bring and how to pay.
- Book your travel once your dates are confirmed, after checking the entry rules with the Ghana Immigration Service.
Start with the international students page for the full picture, or message admissions directly with the course you have in mind.