Which network is 024, 020 or 027? Ghana mobile number prefixes explained
Every Ghana mobile number starts with a prefix that shows the network it was issued on: 024, 054 and 055 for MTN, 020 and 050 for Telecel, 026, 027, 056 and 057 for AT. Here's the full list, and why a prefix no longer proves the network.
A Ghana mobile number is ten digits starting with 0, and the three digits after the 0 are the prefix that shows which network issued it. 024, 025, 053, 054, 055 and 059 are MTN. 020 and 050 are Telecel (formerly Vodafone). 023, 026, 027, 056 and 057 are AT (formerly AirtelTigo). But since number portability began in 2011, people can move to another network and keep their number, so a prefix tells you where a number started, not where it is today.
This guide has the full list, explains how to write a Ghana number correctly for WhatsApp or an international call, and covers the one check that matters most before you send mobile money. The phone number checker tidies up any number and tells you the network it was issued on.
The full list of mobile prefixes
These come from the National Communications Authority's numbering plan and Ghana's numbering filing with the International Telecommunication Union:
| Prefix | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 024 | MTN | |
| 0256, 0257 | MTN | Assigned to MTN in May 2021 |
| 053 | MTN | Assigned to MTN in December 2022 |
| 054 | MTN | |
| 055 | MTN | |
| 059 | MTN | 0591–0596 assigned in 2019, 0597–0599 in 2021 |
| 020 | Telecel | Originally Vodafone Ghana, now Telecel Ghana |
| 050 | Telecel | Originally Vodafone Ghana, now Telecel Ghana |
| 026 | AT | Originally Airtel, now AT |
| 056 | AT | Originally Airtel, now AT |
| 027 | AT | Originally Tigo, now AT |
| 057 | AT | Originally Tigo, now AT |
| 023 | AT | Originally Glo. Glo stopped operating in 2022 and its customers moved to AirtelTigo, now AT, keeping their numbers |
| 028 | Expresso (closed) | Expresso's licence was revoked in 2018 and its customers were told to move to another network |
A quick way to remember the big three: MTN has 024, 054, 055 and 059, Telecel has 020 and 050, and AT has 026, 027, 056 and 057.
Numbers beginning 03 are fixed lines, such as 030 in Greater Accra, not mobiles.
A phone shop in Accra in 2007, under the Tigo brand. Tigo and Airtel have since merged and become AT, and Vodafone Ghana is now Telecel, but their prefixes stayed the same. Photo: Paul Scott, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Why the prefix doesn't prove the network any more
Ghana introduced mobile number portability in 2011. If you're on MTN with an 024 number and switch to Telecel, you keep your 024 number. It now rings on Telecel, even though the prefix still says MTN.
This matters in a few everyday situations:
- Calls and data bundles. On-net and off-net rates can differ, and you can't be sure from the prefix which applies.
- Sending mobile money. You choose the recipient's mobile money wallet, and a ported number's wallet is with the network it moved to.
- Businesses sending SMS. A list sorted by prefix isn't a reliable list of networks.
Only the networks' own systems know where a ported number is now. Our checker tells you the network a number was issued on and says so plainly.
How to write a Ghana number properly
A Ghana number has nine digits after the leading 0. How you write it depends on who's dialling:
| Where from | How to write it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Ghana | 0 + nine digits | 024 123 4567 |
| From abroad, for people to read | +233, drop the 0 | +233 24 123 4567 |
| For WhatsApp, SMS systems and apps (E.164) | +233 and the nine digits, no spaces | +233241234567 |
The most common mistake is keeping the 0 after the country code: +233 024 ... is wrong. The 0 is only for calls inside Ghana. Another is a digit missing. If you count fewer than nine digits after the 0, the number is incomplete. The phone number checker catches both and gives you every format ready to copy.
A mobile money kiosk. Before you send, check the name the app shows for the number. Photo: Fanti Salms, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Before you send mobile money: check the name, not the prefix
Most mobile money mistakes, and many scams, come down to sending to the wrong number. The prefix can't protect you, because anyone can have any prefix. What protects you is the name registered to the wallet.
When you send mobile money, the service shows you the name registered to the recipient's number before you confirm. Read it every time. If you're paying "Kwame Mensah" and the screen says someone else, stop. Common tricks include a "wrong transfer" message asking you to send money back, and a caller claiming to be from your network asking for your PIN. In both cases, check your own balance or history yourself, and never share your PIN with anyone. If you've been defrauded, report it to your network straight away.
Common questions
Which network is 024? MTN. 024 is one of MTN's original prefixes, along with 054 and 055. The number may have been ported to another network since.
Which network is 020 and 050? Telecel, the network formerly called Vodafone Ghana.
Which network is 027, 026, 056 and 057? AT, formerly AirtelTigo. 026 and 056 were Airtel's, and 027 and 057 were Tigo's.
What is Ghana's country code? +233. From abroad, dial +233 and the number without its leading 0, for example +233 24 123 4567.
How do I write a Ghana number for WhatsApp? Use +233 followed by the nine digits after the 0, with no spaces: 024 123 4567 becomes +233241234567.
Can I find out which network a number is on now? Not from the prefix. Since portability began in 2011 a number can move networks and keep its prefix. The mobile money service does show you the name registered to a number before you send, and that's the check that matters.
Last checked 27 September 2026 against the National Communications Authority's numbering plan and Ghana's numbering filing with the ITU. The phone number checker always uses our current list.
Cover photo: Paul Scott, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
