Planning a trip to Ghana and wondering what is the best way to stay connected? This is a complete guide for finding the best sim card for traveling to Ghana in 2024.
Find out everything about local prepaid sim cards, the best e-sim cards for Ghana, where to buy a sim card, best 4G/5G network coverage in Ghana, up to date prices as per January 2024, my recommendations and my experiences, info about buying a sim card at Accra Airport, info about international sim cards and more.
Being a full time world traveler and nomad since 2012, getting connected is the first thing I do when traveling to a new country. Because I am also trying to visit every country in the world I get to a lot of new countries constantly. Therefore on Traveltomtom you can already find more than 200 sim card guides from all over the world: Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Kenya, Istanbul, USA, Canada, New York, United Kingdom, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Europe, Asia and many more.
So next time you are planning your adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid and e-sim card advice for your destination. Bookmark me!
Why buying a sim card for Ghana
First off, you want to avoid high roaming charges. Make sure you switch off data roaming on your sim card from home when traveling to Ghana. Just a couple minutes of roaming can easily cost a lot of money.
Second, don’t rely on overseas data plans. These data roaming packages are expensive first of all and they also reduce the data speed. Very unreliable!
Third, you want to stay connected when traveling! It makes traveling to Ghana so much easier. Think about getting directions from Google Maps, search for nearby restaurants, stay in touch, solve language barriers, find your hotel back, emergencies, etc. Trust me it makes traveling in Ghana simply more fun.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends an MTN prepaid sim card for Ghana. They have the best 4G/5G network in Ghana and they also have affordable prepaid sim card deals for tourists.
You might think that buying a local prepaid sim card in Ghana is the best way to stay connected, but let me introduce to you e-sim cards for Ghana. You order online and arrange everything within just a couple minutes and e-sim cards for Ghana already start from $5 USD. More info below.
Another great way of staying connected is a global sim card with data. These travel sim cards work in multiple countries, although slightly more expensive they come with a lot of advantages, especially for frequent travelers. Check out my comparison of the best International sim cards for travelers in 2024.
Best e-sim cards for Ghana
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling to Ghana in 2024 is an e-sim card. Get yourself an e-sim card for Ghana and arrive prepared. Arrange everything online in just a couple clicks and no more visiting a sim card store and swapping physical sim cards.
Order an e-sim card on the internet, get a QR code, scan it, follow the instructions and you have an installed e-sim card for Ghana on your phone in just 2 minutes. As soon as the plane lands you are online and can enjoy data on your phone.
There are several e-sim card providers that sell Ghana e-sim cards. Here are the best ones for 2024.
Airalo
Check out the Airalo e-sim card plans for Ghana for 2024:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $5 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $9 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $11.5 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $17 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $29 USD
Click here for more info or to order a Ghana e-sim card directly via Airalo.
The above data-only e-sim cards for Ghana from FiFi Mobile are only valid in Ghana and operate on the Vodafone 4G/LTE network in Ghana.
SimOptions
SimOptions is another reliable e-sim provider and they have international e-sim cards that also work in Ghana. These e-sim cards are more expensive but they operate in up to 141 countries around the world:
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $34.90 USD
- 6 GB data for 15 days = $39.90 USD
- 10 GB data for 14 days = $39.90 USD
Click here for more info or to order an international e-sim card for traveling in Ghana via SimOptions.
Via SimOptions you can also order a physical prepaid sim card for Ghana that will be delivered to your home address before your trip. For example 10 GB data for $49.90 USD. Click here to order a physical international prepaid sim card for Ghana online.
Nomad
Traveltomtom recommends Nomad e-sim cards a lot these days as they have amazing e-sim card plans. However, the Nomad e-sim card deals for Ghana are pretty expensive.
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $25 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $40 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $45 USD
Click here for more info or directly order a Ghana e-sim card via Nomad.
Before ordering an e-sim card for traveling in Ghana make sure your phone is e-sim compatible.
Buying a sim card at Accra International Airport
Unfortunately there is no MTN or Vodafone store at Accra International Airport. However, you can still buy a prepaid sim card for Ghana at Accra Kotoko International Airport in the Smice Digital sim card store on your left hand side when you walk out of the arrival hall exit. They do NOT sell MTN prepaid sim cards, only Vodafone prepaid sim cards for double the price compared to the official stores in the Accra city center.
If you are not in a hurry, I recommend you to go to an official MTN or Vodafone store in the city center of Accra. A good place to go is the Accra Mall. When buying a prepaid sim card in Ghana bring your passport. Your new Ghana sim card will be registered on your name and passport number. A copy of your passport will be taken in the store. You will receive a sim card with a phone number that starts with: +233.
The mobile internet operators in Ghana do NOT provide e-sim cards yet as per January 2024, only physical prepaid sim cards for tourists are available.
Mobile internet operators in Ghana
There are 4 main mobile internet operators in Ghana: Glo, Airtel/Tigo, Vodafone and MTN. All of them sell prepaid sim cards for tourists.
Prices for Ghana prepaid sim cards are cheap, especially for tourists. So for finding the best sim card for Ghana it is not the price that is the most important, but the strength of the 4G/5G network.
Because of the weak mobile data network of Airtel/Tigo and Glo, Traveltomtom did not take these mobile internet providers into consideration for finding the best sim card for Ghana in 2024.
The Airtel/Tigo and Glo 4G/LTE network coverage is very limited to Accra only. So for tourists is not recommended to buy a sim card from Airtel/Tigo and/or from Glo to travel to Ghana.
Prices Ghana sim cards in 2024
Prices and info are updated as per January 2024 and are in Ghanaian Cedi: $1 USD = 12.1 GHS and 100 GHS = $8.25 USD.
Vodafone Ghana
A prepaid Vodafone Ghana sim card is free for tourist and can be bought at any official Vodafone store. They offer the following data plans:
- 2.8 GB data for 30 days = 20 GHS
- 6 GB data for 30 days = 50 GHS - $4 USD
- 14 GB data for 30 days = 100 GHS - $8 USD
- 45 GB data for 30 days = 200 GHS
- 130 GB data for 30 days = 300 GHS
- 250 GB data for 30 days = 400 GHS
For more info see the Vodafone Ghana website. You can only buy a physical prepaid sim card in Vodafone stores in Ghana, e-sim cards for tourists are not available.
MTN Ghana
A prepaid MTN Ghana sim card can also be ordered for free at any official retail store of MTN Ghana. MTN offers only monthly data plans:
- 1.61 GB data = 20 GHS
- 4.84 GB data = 60 GHS - $5 USD
- 10.64 GB data = 100 GHS - $8 USD
- 15.96 GB data = 150 GHS
See all the MTN prepaid sim card data package deals in the photo above or head to the MTN Ghana website. You can only buy a physical prepaid sim card in MTN stores in Ghana, e-sim cards for tourists are not available.
Best 4G/5G network in Ghana in 2024
As I mentioned before, the mobile data network coverage is very important when it comes to finding the best sim card for traveling in Ghana. Choose your sim card for Ghana very carefully because you don't want to end up with no phone signal.
Therefore Traveltomtom compared the Ghana network coverage maps of MTN and Vodafone.
In 2024 the mobile data network of Glo and Airtel/Tigo are not worth considering as they are very limited to Accra only. Below you will see that Vodafone is the best alternative to MTN, but does not even come close to the MTN mobile data network. The Glo and Tigo/Airtel network are even weaker/smaller.
Is there 5G in Ghana?
No, as of January 2024 there is no 5G in Ghana yet. You can already be happy with a 4G signal when traveling off the beaten path in Ghana, see the network coverage maps below.
Vodafone 3G/4G/5G network coverage map
MTN 3G/4G/5G network coverage map
As you can see from the above mobile data network coverage maps for Ghana there is a very big difference between the network strength of Vodafone and MTN. It is an easy conclusion that MTN has by far the best 3G/4G/5G network in Ghana in 2024.
Best sim card for Ghana in 2024
After comparing the prices for prepaid sim cards we still couldn't define the best sim card for Ghana in 2024. Most of the prepaid sim cards plans for tourists are similar per provider. But after comparing the mobile data network coverage maps in Ghana and was a very easy conclusion for Traveltomtom to name MTN as the best sim card for Ghana in 2024.
When looking for the best e-sim card for Ghana then Airalo is compared to SimOptions, Nomad and Holafly the best e-sim card for traveling to Ghana. An Airalo e-sim card for Ghana with 10 GB data will cost you $29 USD, which is $2.9 USD per Gigabyte and valid for 30 days.
Order a prepaid sim card for Ghana online
If your phone is not e-sim compatible you can always order a physical prepaid sim card for traveling in Ghana. Buying a sim card in Ghana can be bit a bit of a hassle and time consuming so buying an international prepaid sim card on the internet is an easy way to avoid this and arrive prepared.
A physical pre-activated international sim cards will be delivered to your home address and as soon as the plane lands you put it in your phone and it automatically starts working.
Simoptions sells the following international sim card deal for Ghana:
- 10 GB data for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here for more info or to order an international prepaid sim card for Ghana via SimOptions.
Also a last reminder that if your phone is e-sim compatible you can arrange everything online by ordering an e-sim card for Ghana via Airalo, SimOptions or Nomad.
I hope all the above tips for buying a sim card for Ghana in 2024 were helpful for your upcoming trip. May you have any questions please leave me a comment below.
Curious what it looks like trying to visit every country in the world? Go check out my Instagram account @traveltomtom and follow along.
As of January 2024 I have visited more than 155 countries, so still a long way to go. On my Instagram profile you can also find a highlight with all my tips and stories for traveling in Ghana.
Enjoy your trip to Ghana!