Ghana cost guides put a complete borehole at GH₵13,000 to GH₵35,000, with GH₵8,000 to GH₵20,000 covering drilling alone[1]. Live listings advertise GH₵17,000 in Kumasi Metropolitan[2]and GH₵22,000 in Takoradi[2]. Your own figure depends on depth, rock hardness, casing metres and pump choice, so insist on a written quote.
Updated October 2026
The hard part is not finding a driller. It is knowing whether the figure on your quote covers the same job as the figure your neighbour paid. This page sets the published prices side by side, shows how to build a budget for your own depth, and lists drilling companies by city.
What does borehole drilling cost in Ghana right now?
Different publishers price different things: a classified advert, a complete installed job, or drilling alone. The table below keeps each figure with the page it came from and the date it carries.
| Source | What it prices | Published figures | Date on the figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ownkey cost guide | Complete borehole, drilling and pump split out | GH₵13,000 to GH₵35,000 in total, GH₵8,000 to GH₵20,000 for drilling and GH₵5,000 to GH₵15,000 for pump and installation[1] | October 2026 |
| Jiji Ghana listings | Advertised price per service, tagged by district | A Greater Accra, Ashaiman Municipal advert at GH₵16,000 per service[2] | Undated by the seller |
| Tonaton listings | Advertised price per service, tagged by district | A Borehole Drilling Promo at GH₵8,500 per service in Accra Metropolitan[3] | Undated by the seller |
| Ghana Residential guide | Depth banded prices and pump bands | Bands carry a March 2025 date, so treat them as historical and ask for a fresh written quote | March 2025 |
Read the unit before the amount. A per service advert is a package the seller defines, while a cost guide total assumes drilling, a pump and installation in one budget.
Why is the spread so wide?
Marketplace volume shows how crowded the middle of the market is. Jiji Ghana shows 837 results for Borehole Drilling Services in Ghana[2]. Its price filters band those adverts as under 2.4 K with 50 ads, 2.4 to 15 K with 200 ads, 15 to 18 K with 334 ads, 18 to 22 K with 209 ads and more than 22 K with 41 ads[2]. Tonaton shows 650 results for the same service category and displays them 24 at a time[3].
So most sellers crowd into the middle bands for a standard domestic hole, while cheap promos and deep, high yield or commercial jobs sit outside them. Jiji also records 737 Drilling ads, 672 Domestic and Industrial ads and 454 ads from Verified sellers[2]. Identical advertiser wording turns up at several prices, so a cedi figure means nothing until the quote names drilling depth, metres of casing, pump horsepower and whether a yield test is included.
A worked budget for your own site
Say you want a mechanised domestic borehole with a submersible pump and no unusual depth. Take the low end of each published component, GH₵8,000 + GH₵5,000 = GH₵13,000, then the high end for harder ground and a bigger pump, GH₵20,000 + GH₵15,000 = GH₵35,000[1]. Any quote outside that band needs a written explanation, including a promotion priced well below it.
How much is quoted in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Sunyani?
These are advertised district price points copied from live listings, not averages. They show what sellers in each area are currently asking.
| City or district | Advertised price | What the advert names |
|---|---|---|
| Accra Metropolitan | Promo price on Tonaton, GH₵8,500 per service[3] | Borehole Drilling Promo |
| Ashaiman Municipal | GH₵16,000[2] | Drilling, construction and mechanisation |
| Kumasi Metropolitan | GH₵17,000[2] | Drilling with quality blue pipes and pump |
| Obuasi Municipal | GH₵18,000[2] | Borehole with submersible pump, Yalesha |
| Sunyani Municipal | GH₵20,000[2] | Mechanised borehole with submersible pump |
| Tano North | GH₵20,000 per service[2] | Yalesha drilling with pump and blue pipes |
| Takoradi | GH₵22,000[2] | Borehole drilling and mechanisation |
| Tarkwa Nsuaem | GH₵22,000 per service[2] | Affordable and quality borehole with submersible pump |
| Ho Municipal | GH₵22,000 with a free submersible pump of 0.75-1.0 horse power[2] | Borehole with Italian technology pump |
| Nzema East | GH₵23,000 per service[3] | Axim and Esiama area mechanised borehole |
Koforidua and Tamale buyers should price against the Ashanti points above until a dated local listing exists, because basement rock ground behaves differently from coastal sediment. Some services carry no price at all: solar boreholes for farms, underground water detection and borehole camera inspection are listed as contact for price[3].
Which borehole drilling companies work in your city?
These are directory listings and contact routes, not rankings. WebsitesGH has not inspected any borehole or vetted any drilling work.
- Accra and Tema: Ani Borehole Drilling Services in Madina, JT Boreholes Company Limited in Legon and Comero BoreHole Drilling Gh. Ltd in Adenta West.
- Kumasi and Ashanti: Anehema Water Drilling Company on the Sunyani road and Solar Borehole Drilling Company for solar powered pump work.
- Takoradi, Sunyani, Koforidua and Tamale: start from the Construction and Building directory, then confirm the firm covers your district before any site visit.
- Volta Region: Dekomark Borehole Drilling advertises a site survey in 48 hours across all Volta Region districts, a free water quality test and a 2-Year Workmanship Guarantee[4].
- Marketplace sellers: Yalesha Drilling and Borehole Services appears in Ashanti, Western and Sunyani area adverts, and more sellers are reachable through Jiji Ghana and Tonaton.
For wider contractor context, browse the construction section.
How do you compare two quotes fairly?
| Check | Good sign | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrogeological survey | Geophysical siting done before drilling and priced in | The rig arrives and drills where you point |
| Depth and casing | Metres drilled and metres of PVC or steel casing written down | One lump sum with no depth limit |
| Pump | Horsepower and brand named for the submersible pump | Pump brand and horsepower not stated: ask for both in writing |
| Yield test | Pumping test result handed over in writing | No litres per hour figure anywhere |
| Documentation | Drilling logs, pump specs and water certificates with every job, which Dekomark states it delivers[4] | Nothing on paper after handover |
| Guarantee | A written workmanship guarantee with a stated period | A verbal promise to come back |
| Permit | The quote names who files the Water Resources Commission permit | The permit is never mentioned |
Do you need a permit to drill a borehole in Ghana?
Yes. Borehole drilling in Ghana requires a permit from the Water Resources Commission, alongside engaging a driller registered with the Commission[1]. Confirm that registration with the Commission yourself rather than accepting a contractor’s word. The permit fee and processing time are not published in the cost guides, so ask the Commission directly before you pay a deposit. A borehole normally supplements or replaces Ghana Water Company Limited mains supply, and that does not remove the paperwork.
How does geology change the price?
Coastal sedimentary areas generally favour drilling, while parts of Ashanti and Eastern Region on granite or basement rock require deeper, costlier wells[1]. Whether your plot sits on the Birimian basement complex, the Volta Basin or coastal sediment, the shared rule is simple: harder rock means more metres, slower progress and a higher rate per metre. Only a survey on your own land turns that into a number, so a price given over the phone is a guess.
Manual, mechanised or solar: which should you choose?
- Manual auger drilling suits shallow holes in soft ground and is the cheapest route; rotary drilling machines are used for deep boreholes and percussion machines for rocky terrains[5].
- Mechanised with a submersible pump is the standard domestic package: pump, pipes, mechanisation and an overhead storage tank, which is what most district adverts above describe.
- Solar powered pump fits farms and sites with weak or no grid power, and established drillers say they run certified rotary and DTH rigs on such jobs.
Decide by depth first, then by power supply, then by daily demand. For scale on yield, one Volta project is listed as a Kpando agricultural borehole with a 15,000L/day yield, and a Hohoe community borehole serving 400+ residents was completed in 4 days[4].
What can go wrong, and how long does it take?
The drilling itself typically takes 1 to 3 days depending on depth and geology[1]. Add the survey, permit filing, casing, development, pump installation and testing, and rig availability in your district often sets the start date.
A dry or low yield hole is the main financial risk, so agree in writing what happens if the first attempt fails and whether a second hole is charged again. One Volta driller states that 98% of its boreholes yield clean, productive water on the first attempt[4]. That is a self reported figure, so ask any contractor to show past sites. Water quality is the second risk: some Ghana groundwater has documented iron and fluoride content in certain regions that requires treatment before household use[1]. Insist on potability testing before the tank is connected to the house.
Who is this for, and who should wait?
A borehole suits homeowners, landlords, schools, churches, farms and estate developers with unreliable mains water who can fund the whole package at once. If you can fund only the drilling, you will own a hole and no water, because pump and installation sits in a separate published band of GH₵5,000 to GH₵15,000[1]. Pumps, casing and rig parts are imported and priced in Ghana cedis against the dollar, so movements tracked by the Bank of Ghana are a reason to treat any quote more than a few weeks old as expired.
Try this today
- Write your intended use and a target depth on one sheet, then ask three drillers in your district to quote against it.
- Require each quote to state metres drilled, metres and material of casing, pump horsepower, yield test, water quality test, guarantee period and who files the permit.
- Check each quote against the published total band for a complete job and ask anyone far outside it to justify the gap in writing.
- Confirm the driller’s registration with the Water Resources Commission before releasing a deposit.
For the full sequence from siting to handover, read the step by step breakdown of what to expect when drilling a borehole.
List your borehole drilling business on WebsitesGH
If you drill in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Sunyani, Koforidua, Ho, Tema or Tamale, a listing puts your district coverage, rig type and package contents in front of buyers who are already comparing quotes. Add your company to the Construction and Building category and state what your standard price includes.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to drill and install a borehole in Ghana?
Published Ghana guidance puts a complete borehole at GH₵13,000 to GH₵35,000, split as GH₵8,000 to GH₵20,000 for drilling and GH₵5,000 to GH₵15,000 for pump and installation[1]. Live adverts sit inside that band, for example GH₵18,000 in Obuasi Municipal[2]. Treat any figure as indicative until a driller surveys your land and writes down depth, casing and pump.
How do you calculate drilling cost per metre?
Ask the driller for a rate per metre, then multiply it by the expected depth from the survey and add casing, pump, mechanisation and testing as separate lines. Say a quote is built on 60 metres: 60 x the agreed rate gives the drilling element only. Insist the quote states what happens if the hole must go deeper than the estimate.
How much does a borehole drilling machine cost in Ghana?
Ghana cost guides and marketplace category pages price drilling services, not rigs, so no rig purchase price is published there. Ghana Residential names rotary machines for deep boreholes, percussion machines for rocky terrains and manual auger drilling for shallow boreholes[5]. For a rig price, ask equipment importers and dealers for a written quotation covering the rig, compressor, support vehicle and spares.
How many years can a borehole last?
No dated Ghana source published here states an average borehole lifespan, so do not accept a round number from a seller. Lifespan depends on casing material and depth, water chemistry, how hard the pump works and whether the well is developed and serviced. Ask for the drilling log and pump specification on handover, test water quality, and budget for pump replacement as the first renewal cost.
Is the pump and storage tank included in a drilling quote?
Not always, and this is where quotes stop being comparable. Some adverts bundle mechanisation, for example a Ho Municipal listing at GH₵22,000 that includes a free submersible pump of 0.75-1.0 horse power[2]. Cost guidance still treats pump and installation as a separate budget line[1]. Ask in writing whether the pump, pipes, control box, tank and stand are inside the price.
Which drilling companies work outside Accra and Kumasi?
Start with the directory listings above for Accra, Tema and Kumasi, then use the Construction and Building directory for Takoradi, Sunyani, Koforidua and Tamale. In the Volta Region, Dekomark Borehole Drilling advertises a site survey in 48 hours across all Volta Region districts[4]. Always confirm the firm covers your district and files the permit before booking a visit.
How can a buyer check a drilling company is genuine before paying a deposit?
Confirm the company is registered with the Water Resources Commission and that a permit is required for the work[1]. Ask for two recent sites in your district and speak to those owners. Require a written quote with depth, casing metres, pump horsepower, yield test, water quality test and guarantee period. Pay in stages tied to drilling, casing and a successful yield test, never fully in advance.
Sources
- Ownkey – Borehole Drilling in Ghana 2026: Cost, Process, Yield … (13 Oct 2026)
- Jiji – Borehole Drilling Services in Ghana ▷ Price online on Jiji.com.gh
- Tonaton – Borehole Drilling Services in Ghana – Accra (checked 13 Oct 2026)
- Dekomarkdrilling – Dekomark Borehole Drilling – Borehole Drilling company … (checked 13 Oct 2026)
- Ghanaresidential – Find Affordable Borehole Drilling Price in Ghana (27 Mar 2025)
