Accra - Post Report Question and Answers
Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
Google Fi is hit or miss. My husband’s worked fairly well, but mine never did. I have a local SIM card and prices are cheap. Since they instituted the Ghana card, it has been increasingly difficult for US diplomats to get a local SIM card (since we don’t carry a Ghana card and cannot give biometics). Those of us that had one before the Ghana card rule were able to keep them with the embassy’s intervention. Mine was frozen until the embassy intervened. - Sep 2023
Vodafone mobile service was extremely spotty in Cantonments, but MTN worked great. I had a local pay as you go SIM and maintained contact with home via Whatsapp. Google Fi never worked for me in Ghana, though I know of one person who used it after several days of working with their customer service to get it working. - Nov 2022
I brought an unlocked phone. Sims and data are cheap. Just go to Vodafone or MTN and they will help you out (but take your dip passport the first time to register) - Sep 2022
Bring an unlocked iphone from the US and buy a local SIM card when you arrive. Vodaphone and MTN are the most common carriers. Data/call time is cheap, $5 can last all month. - Mar 2022
Local providers are pretty good and cheap. WhatsApp is ubiquitous. - Nov 2019
Mobile phones service is quite inexpensive by U.S. standards. After setting up service with one of the providers (MTN and Vodafone are the big ones, and fairly equivalent, I think) you can recharge by purchasing scratch cards, by submitting payment at authorized locations, or even through the commissary. I usually buy 20 cedi ($4) scratch cards and they last me about 2 weeks each. - May 2019
Mobile phones are easy to buy, as are SIM cards and air time. People here use pay as you go top ups. MTN and Vodafone are both popular. - Apr 2018
No recommendations. I still have my US phone and simply receive texts while I'm connected to my wifi at home. The three main phone companies here seem to be Airtel, MTN, and Vodafone. - Aug 2017
There are a few choices, Vodafone and MTN seem to be the most popular and are very cheap, pay as you go. Data is also extremely inexpensive. - Apr 2017
Data is cheap, so you can get a local cell phone and pay less than $10 a month for data/cell coverage. Calls to the USA are also cheap. - Aug 2016
We have a pay-as-you-go phone with Vodafone. Good prices. - May 2014
They are cheap and easy to get. If you are not issued one, you can get one on the local market fairly easily. - Apr 2012
Easily available here. - Aug 2011
Cell phones and minutes are inexpensive. - Jun 2011
Get a pay-as-you-go SIM card. Everyone here has a cell phone; it's a must. - Feb 2010
Pay as you go SIM cards - works fine. - Feb 2010
GSM, get one. - May 2009
