Call forwarding codes in Ghana: MTN, Telecel and AirtelTigo

If you have ever searched for the MTN call forwarding code, or the Telecel one, or AirtelTigo's, you were looking for something that does not exist. There is no MTN code. The codes are part of the GSM standard that every mobile network in the world is built on, so the same ones work on all three Ghanaian networks, and on any network you roam onto.

That is good news. You only have to learn four.

The codes

Dial these from your phone's keypad exactly as written, then press the call button. Replace the number in the examples with the one you want your calls to go to.

Forward every call

This is the one most people want. Every call to your number goes straight to the other phone, and your handset never rings.

1. Open your phone's dialler.
2. Type **21* then the number, then #. For example **21*0241234567#.
3. Press call.
4. Wait for the confirmation message. It usually says that call forwarding is registered or activated.

Your phone will normally show a small forwarding icon in the status bar while it is on. On most Android phones you can do the same thing without codes, under Settings, Call settings, Call forwarding. The codes are faster and they work the same on a feature phone.

Forward only in certain cases

Forwarding everything is blunt. Most businesses want the opposite: ring my phone first, and only send the call on if I cannot take it.

That is what the conditional codes are for. You can set all three at once and they work together.

• **67*number# catches calls while you are already on another call.
• **61*number# catches calls you do not pick up in time.
• **62*number# catches calls when your phone is off, flat, or out of coverage.

Set all three to the same number and you have a reasonable safety net. A caller reaches you first, and only falls through to the second phone when you genuinely cannot answer.

How to stop call forwarding

If calls have stopped reaching you and you do not know why, this is the first thing to check.

Dial ##002# and press call. That clears every forward of every kind, on every network, including ones you set months ago and forgot. It is the reset button.

To remove just one kind, use the matching code: ##21# for the forward-everything rule, ##67# for busy, ##61# for no answer, ##62# for unreachable.

How to check if your calls are being forwarded

Dial *#21# and press call. Your phone will tell you whether an unconditional forward is set and, if it is, which number your calls are going to.

This is worth knowing for an uncomfortable reason. If someone has had your phone unattended for a minute, they can set a forward in that time, and nothing on your home screen makes it obvious afterwards. Calls simply stop arriving. If that has happened to you, ##002# clears it.

Check the other three the same way, with *#67#, *#61# and *#62#. A phone that was set up by a shop may already have a no-answer forward pointing at the network's voicemail.

Does it cost anything?

Setting a forward is free. The call itself is not.

When a call is forwarded, you are generally charged for the second leg, the part that travels from your number to the number you forwarded to, at your normal rate. The person calling you pays only for reaching your number, as they always would. So forwarding to a number on a different network, or abroad, can get expensive without you noticing, because the cost lands on your bill rather than theirs.

Network by network

MTN Ghana

The GSM codes above work. MTN also lets you manage forwarding from the MyMTN app if you would rather see the current setting on a screen than dial *#21#.

Telecel Ghana

The same codes work. Telecel was Vodafone Ghana until the 2023 rebrand, so older guides that say Vodafone are describing the same network and the same codes.

AirtelTigo

The same codes work here too. AirtelTigo is a single network despite the two names, so there is no separate Airtel code and Tigo code to worry about.

What forwarding will not fix

Call forwarding solves exactly one problem: your phone is not the right phone to answer this call right now. Send it somewhere else.

What it cannot do is anything a business actually needs once more than one person is involved.

• It only sends calls to one phone. It cannot ring three people and let whoever is free pick up.
• Nobody can tell it was a business call. It arrives on a personal phone looking like any other call, so it gets answered "hello" instead of with your business name.
• There is no record. No log of who called, who answered, who missed it, or what was agreed.
• The number belongs to a person. When that person is away, or leaves, the number and the customers who know it go with them.

That is the point at which forwarding stops being a fix and starts being the problem. A business line rings everyone who should hear it, on the phones they already carry, and keeps the history in one place. If that sounds like what you were actually trying to build with forwarding codes, that is what a cloud phone system does, and you can keep the number you already use.

Common questions

Do the codes work on an iPhone?

Yes. The dialler codes are handled by the network, not the handset, so they work the same on iPhone and Android. iPhone also has a settings screen, under Phone then Call Forwarding, but it only exposes the forward-everything rule.

Can I forward to an international number?

Yes, using the full international format with the plus. Check your tariff first. You pay for that leg, and international rates apply.

Why does my forward keep switching itself off?

Some networks drop a conditional forward when the destination is unreachable or the account runs out of credit. Dial *#61# to see whether it is still set.

Can I forward calls from a number that is not mine?

No, and that is deliberate. The codes act on the SIM in the phone you dial them from, which is why physical access to a handset is enough to redirect someone's calls, and why *#21# is worth checking occasionally.