GHANA ADOPTION OVERVIEW
All God’s Children International is one of five U.S. agencies authorized to provide adoption services for children in Ghana. The country of Ghana embraced the regulations of the Hague Convention in 2017, and AGCI is one of the only agencies with 3 Hague-accredited programs in Africa!
All God’s Children International works directly in partnership with Plusone Charities in Ghana. Although Plusone Charities is a relatively new agency, its executive director, Attorney Naa Adjorkor Mohenu, has been working in international adoption since 2013.
Approximately 3,500 children are living in over 139 residential homes in Ghana. Children enter care for a variety of reasons including poverty, abuse, neglect, and death or illness of a parent. Children may also enter care when they have a special need their family is not able to provide for.
- Most children available for adoption are between the ages of 5 to 14.
- All children eligible for adoption have medical conditions, are part of a sibling group, or are considered older orphans.
- Timeframe: 1-3 years. Timeframe is from registered dossier to completion. Timeframes are dependent on family’s openness to medical conditions and age of child.
- Complete a FREE Pre-App to view waiting children.
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WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO ADOPT FROM GHANA?
Age of Parents
Couples 25-50 or 21-65 in cases of relative adoption.
Marital Status
Married couples may adopt in Ghana.
Single Applicant
A single woman may adopt only if that person is a citizen of Ghana.
Children in Family
Families with children are welcome to adopt from Ghana. The youngest child in the home must be at least 3 years old at the time of application. Families may have five or fewer biological and adopted children in the home.
Income
Families must have an income of at least $15,000 per family member, including the adopted child.
Criminal History
Applicants cannot have a history of conviction for violent offenses and/or crimes against children.
Medical History
Applicants without a past or current diagnosis of a life-threatening communicable disease or other condition that impairs their ability to parent and/or the quality of life of a child are eligible to adopt form Ghana.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ADOPT FROM GHANA?
The approximate cost to adopt from Ghana is $34,950. Cost does not include airfare, lodging, and other fees associated with travel.
There are so many ways to fund your adoption! You can learn more about AGCI specific grants, adoption loans, and employee benefits and more on our How to Fund Page!
AGENCY FEES
APPLICATION: $350 This non-refundable fee covers the cost of a review of your application to confirm your eligibility for your desired program. (Due at application)
U.S. AGENCY: $8,500* The agency fee covers AGCI’s cost to facilitate your adoption with agency and government officials in both the United States and foreign country. Processing expenses for AGCI include, but are not limited to, personnel costs, administrative overhead, operational costs, staff training and education, state, federal, and international licensing and accreditations, communications and insurance. (1/2 due with completion of contract and 1/2 due six months after contract)
PROGRAM FEE: $2,500* This fee provides care for orphans around the world and allows AGCI to provide the medical, emotional, spiritual, and developmental care that every child deserves. (Due with completion of orientation)
POST-ADOPTION SERVICE: $2,800 This fee allows us to provide post-adoption support services to your family and process post-adoption reports. (Due with completion of referral packet)
*If adopting siblings, agency and 1st program fees increase.
HOME STUDY AND POST-ADOPTION*
AGCI HOME STUDY SERVICES: $2,500 These fees cover our services in preparing and completing your adoption home study, including any applicable social worker travel costs. If outside AGCI’s home study states; these fees may be payable to your home study agency. (Due with completion of orientation)
POST-ADOPTION REPORTS: $400 per report; $225 per report for each additional child. These fees cover the cost for AGCI to provide post-placement visits and reports upon arrival home. (Due with completion of referral packet)
*These fees may vary if payable to your home study agency for families living outside of AGCI’s licensed states.
NON-AGCI HOME STUDY REVIEW: $400 Any home study written by your home study agency (if outside our 6 home study states) will be reviewed by AGCI to ensure it meets all AGCI, USCIS, Hague and sending country criteria. (Due with completion of orientation)
GHANA COUNTRY FEES & EXPENSES
$17,500* These fees cover the cost of facilitating an international adoption in Ghana. These fees include, but are not limited to costs related to personnel, administration, training and education, legal fees and communications associated with government and agency authorities, government fees, and care of your child prior to the completion of your adoption. (Due with completion of dossier and referral packet as indicated on fee schedule)
ADDITIONAL & THIRD PARTY EXPENSES
| Adoptive Parent Home Study Education: | $300 |
| Adoptive Parent Referral Education: | $600 |
| Accreditation Monitoring & Oversight: | $850 |
| FBI Fingerprinting: | $85 per adult |
| USCIS & Immigration Related Fees: | $775+ |
| Notary Services, County & State Authentication: | $250+ |
| Document Authentication and Translation Fees: | $400-$3,600 |
| Re-Adoption: | $500-$1,500 |
| Travel Expenses: | $8,000-$15,000 |
TOTAL COST: The approximate cost to adopt from Ghana is $30,950. Cost does not include airfare, lodging and other fees associated with travel.
Fee Disclosure: All fees paid to AGCI are paid in advance of service. AGCI fees are non-refundable and may not be waived. If services are terminated and a refund is due, all refunds will be processed within 60 days of withdrawal and/or closure of the adoption file upon receiving the Adoption Termination Contract.
GHANA ADOPTION PROCESS
STEP ONE
Complete home study and dossier process.
STEP TWO
Wait to be matched with your child and then begin the referral process.
STEP THREE
If you accept your referral, then you will wait for the Central Authority to issue the formal referral paperwork with all the child’s legal and medical history. Once you receive this information, you will then submit the I-800 paperwork to U.S. Immigration.
STEP FOUR
Once your family has received the approval from the Central Authority, you will be able to travel to Ghana to meet your child to begin bonding. A social worker in Ghana will assess the bonding between you and your child prior to beginning the court process to finalize your child’s adoption. You will attend a court hearing to finalize the adoption.
STEP FIVE
Once the adoption is finalized, one meeting will take place at the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, and your final visa appointment will be held at the U.S. Embassy in Ghana. Your family will then travel home with your adopted child. This trip will span 3-4.5 months.
STEP SIX
Welcome home! AGCI and Ghana require post-adoption visits and reports at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 4 years. In addition, once the adoption is finalized and your child is home, you are required to complete your state re-adoption process. AGCI is here for support throughout your child’s life—connect with us at any time for ongoing support services!
GHANA ADOPTION TEAM
AGCI partners with Plusone Charities in Ghana, which works directly under the authority of the Central Adoption Authority Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection.
