Direct answer
After MTN, ECG, and the Telecel/AT wallets, the company shortcodes Ghanaians search next are Ghana Water *1010# (rank 4) and GCB Bank *422# (rank 5). This page is the field sheet for those two, plus the other large banks and NHIS. Ranking context: top 5 USSD shortcodes in Ghana.
Utilities vs bank vs health
Water bill: GWL *1010# (customer ID on the bill). Lights: ECG *226#.
GCB: *422# on the registered mobile. NHIS renew: *929#.
USSD option numbers move when a company ships a new menu. Trust the on-screen label (Send money, Pay bill, Check balance), not a screenshot from 2023. If a path in this guide does not match what you see, follow the live menu. Bank USSD also requires the phone number registered on the account. Dialling from a new SIM does not magically find the old account.
Ghana Water Ltd — *1010# (rank 4)
GWL has publicly pushed *1010# as the official check-and-pay USSD, including a no-extra-charge message on that channel. Typical live options:
- Pay (often option 1) — MoMo, and GWL has also mentioned card / bank / POS in broader pay-anywhere campaigns.
- Check bill (often option 2) — name, outstanding balance, amount due.
Some app-onboarding notes cite *1010*1010# for an OTP. Try *1010# first for bills. If you are installing the GWL app and it asks for a USSD OTP, use the OTP code the app prints — not a Facebook clone.
The number that works is the customer ID
GWCL bills carry a customer / account ID (commonly 12 digits). That is what USSD and Ewale want. The stamped serial on the meter body is for technicians. Paying the wrong ID credits someone else’s ledger; your disconnection notice will not care that the digits were “close.”
Where to read it: the paper bill, a previous SMS receipt, the GWL app, or the last successful Ewale check. Landlords should send tenants the ID as text, not a photo of the meter.
Disconnection window (useful, not folklore)
GWL’s Ashanti communications have stated that revenue mobilisation runs from about the 20th to month-end, with unpaid accounts at risk of disconnection. After you settle arrears and any penalty, reconnection is typically 24–48 hours depending on logistics — not the same minute as a prepaid ECG token. Pay before the 20th if you cannot sit through a dry weekend.
GWL has also listed: call centre 0302218240, Telecel toll-free 0800 40 000, and mobiles 0207385087–0207385090. Confirm on a current bill if a number has rotated.
*1010# vs *790# vs Ewale
| Code | Status | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
*1010# |
Official GWL | You only need this water account |
*790# |
Legacy / third-party in old blogs | Do not treat as current GWL policy |
*714*22# |
Ewale | Water + ECG + TV, or *1010# is not completing on your SIM |
Ewale path: water checkout or USSD → Utilities → Ghana Water. Comparison archive: *790# / *1010# / *714*22#.
GCB Bank — *422# (rank 5)
GCB Bank PLC is Ghana’s largest indigenous retail bank by reach. Mobile banking USSD is *422#, from the number registered on the account. GCB’s own service list:
- Balance enquiry
- Mini statement (last five transactions)
- PIN change
- Airtime top-up for self or another number
- Bill payment (TV licence, DSTV, GoTV and others listed on the menu)
- GCB-to-GCB funds transfer
- Bank ↔ Mobile Money send / receive
- Fee Pay — school fees to the institutions GCB has onboarded (GCB has cited 300+ schools on this product)
Existing SMS-banking customers were told to dial *422# on the same registered number to move onto the newer USSD; SMS banking then disables. New customers: branch enrolment with a valid registered mobile. Toll-free 0800 422 422.
Do not confuse GCB *422# with Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG) *924# or with First Atlantic *442#.
Other big Ghana banks — USSD directory
Codes below are the ones circulating from bank pages and maintained Ghana listings in 2026. Banks retire gateways. If *715# does not open after you were signed up last year, call the bank — do not “try” a neighbouring bank’s code. Dial from the registered MSISDN. Internet is not required.
| Bank | USSD | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GCB Bank | *422# |
Confirmed on GCB’s mobile-banking pages |
| Ecobank Ghana | *770# |
Ghana code. Do not dial Nigeria’s *326# and expect Ecobank Ghana |
| Fidelity Bank | *776# |
Also used to open a Fidelity Smart Account remotely (ID required). Official launch copy: Smart Account daily deposit cap GH₵5,000, daily withdrawal cap GH₵2,000 — confirm on today’s menu |
| Stanbic Bank Ghana | *715# |
Official: balances, payments, airtime, mini statement. Enrolment is tied to electronic banking / branch setup, then SMS PIN |
| Absa Ghana | *895# |
Confirm on your onboarding SMS; Absa has used more than one digital channel over the years |
| Access Bank | *901# |
Same family as other Access USSD markets — still Ghana-hosted when you dial locally |
| ADB | *767# |
Agricultural Development Bank |
| CalBank | *771# |
Not Fidelity *776# |
| CBG | *924# |
Consolidated Bank Ghana — not GCB |
| GTBank Ghana | *737# |
Familiar *737 family; Ghana menu only on a Ghana line |
| Zenith Bank Ghana | *966# |
Registered number only; not a MoMo wallet code |
| UBA Ghana | *822# |
Registered number only; not a MoMo wallet code |
| Republic Bank | *414# |
|
| Standard Chartered Ghana | *977# |
|
| Prudential Bank | *772# |
|
| First Atlantic | *442# |
Easy to mix with GCB *422# |
Stanbic’s public enrolment note: you receive a PIN by SMS after internet/mobile banking is enabled, then you change it on first *715# login. That pattern is common: the first PIN is a bootstrap, not a PIN you should keep.
NHIS — *929# (big public scheme, not a bank)
The National Health Insurance Authority’s mobile membership renewal code is *929#. NHIA launched it so members can check validity and renew with Mobile Money on feature phones. It is not in the daily-dial top five, but search spikes when cards expire and at hospital gates. Bring the membership number the scheme SMS expects. A hospital till is not the place to discover the wallet is empty — renew before the visit.
NCA harmonised codes (every network, not one company)
Useful, but they lost the “big company” ranking because they are national assignments:
- 100 — your network’s customer care (free as published by NCA for that service)
*124#— airtime balance*134*PIN#— voucher recharge*400#/ 400 — SIM registration check- 419 — SIM-related fraud report
- 600 — mobile number portability
- 112 emergency · 191 Police · 192 Fire · 193 Ambulance
When to skip the company code and use Ewale
Company USSD is correct for that company’s ledger. Ewale *714*22# is the correct first dial when:
- You are paying ECG and Ghana Water in one sitting.
- You are buying airtime or data for a network that is not the wallet’s home network.
- You need DSTV / GoTV / StarTimes without hunting each biller inside *170# or *110#.
- You want a BECE / WASSCE checker without a WAEC office queue.
Ewale does not replace GCB *422# balance enquiry or NHIS *929# renewal.
Checkout: payments hub · ECG · Ghana Water · TV bills.
FAQ — company shortcodes
What is the USSD for Ghana Water?
Official: *1010#. Ewale: *714*22#. You need the bill’s customer ID.
What is GCB’s shortcode?
*422#. CBG is *924#. First Atlantic is *442#.
Is Ecobank Ghana *326#?
No. *326# is widely known as Ecobank in Nigeria. In Ghana use *770# on the registered number.
Can I open a Fidelity account on USSD?
Fidelity published instant Smart Account opening on *776# with a valid national ID. Limits and KYC sit on the live menu — read them before you treat it as a full current account.
What is the NHIS renewal code?
*929#.