How to Buy a SIM Card in Ghana in 2026
A Ghanaian SIM card is cheap: travel guides put the card itself at about GH₵ 5 to 15 at the airport kiosks, or 15 to 20 GHS at official outlets, and a tourist data bundle at about GH₵ 50 to 120 for 10 to 25 GB lasting 30 days. What takes the time is the registration, which is biometric and done in person. This guide explains who to buy from, what the counter asks for, why a local line still matters for mobile money, and which of our eSIMs cover Ghana. Our plans for the country are on the Ghana eSIM page.
MTN, Telecel and AT
Ghana has three networks, and one of them dominates. On the regulator's figures for February 2026, MTN Ghana held about 72% of mobile voice subscriptions and 81% of mobile data, Telecel (the former Vodafone Ghana) about a fifth of voice, and AT, the old AirtelTigo, the rest. AT customers are being moved onto Telecel's towers under a national roaming order, so the two smaller networks increasingly share one footprint. For a visitor the choice is simple: MTN has the widest coverage outside Accra, the most shops and the mobile money service everyone uses.
Buying at Kotoka: passport, fingerprints, twenty minutes
MTN, Telecel and AT run registration kiosks in the Terminal 3 arrivals hall at Kotoka International Airport. Every new SIM, a tourist's included, is registered biometrically: you hand over the physical passport, not a photo of it, the agent scans a fingerprint, and the process takes about 10 to 20 minutes. Ask the agent to show you the bundle is active before you leave. One guide claims SIMs cannot be bought at Ghana's airports at all; the recent arrival guides describe the kiosks in detail, so expect them, but have a plan if the queue is long. Terminal 3 has free Wi-Fi, which is enough to message your driver.
Buy from the kiosks or an official shop, never from a hawker offering a card that is already active: the line would be registered to someone else. One source also reports that a line registered against a passport stops working after 30 days, and that keeping it longer needs a Non-Citizen Ghana Card. On a two-week trip that changes nothing; if you hope to keep the number between visits, ask at an MTN service centre first.
What the bundles cost
The most consistent 2026 figures are a SIM at about GH₵ 5 to 15 and a 10 to 25 GB bundle for 30 days at about GH₵ 50 to 120, bought at the counter or by dialling *138# on MTN. Another blog quotes an MTN tourist SIM at 80 GHS with 6GB for 45 days, which shows how much the packaging varies between outlets. Ask for the bundle by gigabytes and days.
Why a local line still matters: MoMo
MTN MoMo is how Ghana pays: drivers, market stalls, guesthouses and fuel stations quote a wallet number rather than a card machine. A visitor can open a wallet with a passport once a registered MTN line is in the phone, and the menu is on *170#. No travel eSIM gives you a +233 number, so none of them can open MoMo. If your trip involves paying people directly, budget for a registered MTN line even if you also carry an eSIM for data.
Our eSIMs for Ghana
Three of our plans include Ghana, and each suits a different trip. The Africa 10GB eSIM is $27 for 10GB of high-speed data over 30 days, starting on first use in Africa, and also works in South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Reunion; after the 10GB the speed drops to 128 Kbps rather than cutting off. The Vodafone Travel eSIM is $26.60 for 25GB over 30 days from purchase, with unlimited local calls and a UK number, a natural fit for visitors from Britain who want to ring home. The Orange World 20GB eSIM is $28 for 20GB over 30 days from first use, with a French +33 number, 15 minutes of calls and 50 texts. None of them needs the biometric queue. The O2 SMS Only eSIM at $8 a month keeps bank codes arriving on a private UK number, and the Global PAYG eSIM at $20 with €17.50 of credit suits a short stopover.
Side by side
| Option | Price | Data | Number | Registration | MoMo |
|---|
| MTN SIM and bundle at Kotoka | About GH₵ 5 to 15 for the SIM, about GH₵ 50 to 120 for the bundle | About 10 to 25 GB, 30 days | Ghanaian +233 | Passport and fingerprint at the kiosk | Yes |
| Africa 10GB eSIM | $27 | 10GB, 30 days, six countries | Data only | None | No |
| Vodafone Travel eSIM | $26.60 | 25GB, 30 days from purchase | UK, unlimited local calls | None | No |
| Orange World 20GB eSIM | $28 | 20GB, 30 days, 90+ countries | French +33, 15 minutes and 50 texts | None | No |
| O2 SMS Only eSIM | $8 a month | None | UK +44 for incoming texts | None | No |
Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast and the north
Accra and Kumasi have fast 4G on every network, with MTN 5G in parts of Accra. Along the coast road to Cape Coast and in the Volta Region, MTN holds its signal longest, and in the north it is the network to trust. Our eSIMs use local partner networks, so expect the same patchy stretches in the far north, and download offline maps for long drives.
Our recommendation
For a holiday of up to a month, install the Africa 10GB eSIM before you fly, or the Vodafone Travel eSIM if you want calls home, and you will have data from the moment you land. If you will be paying drivers or guesthouses through MoMo, add an MTN SIM at the Kotoka kiosk with your passport. Set-up steps are in our eSIM installation guide, and the plans for the country are on the Ghana eSIM page.
