eSIM and SIM cards in Ghana

Registration is not a formality

• SIM registration is mandatory in Ghana, set by the National Communications Authority rather than by the operators.
• A non-resident foreigner registers on a passport number, or an ECOWAS card number if you hold one. Bring the physical document.
• Biometric capture happens at the point of sale. Your fingerprint is taken in the shop, which is why a SIM cannot be bought and registered remotely for you by somebody else.
• 404 is the USSD short code for registering a SIM you already hold. A new SIM is registered by the operator's agent when you buy it.

Practically

• Buy in a branded operator shop rather than from a street table. The biometric step needs the operator's own equipment, and a SIM sold to you already registered is registered to somebody else.
• The airport has free wifi in both terminals under the name KIA FREE WIFI, so there is no need to buy a SIM in the first ten minutes at whatever price is quoted.