Ghana Civil Registration

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Ghana

Civil Registration

Resources

Online Records

1863-2003 Ghana, Accra, Marriages, 1863-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Mostly 1950-2005 British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Ghana, index & images ($)
1881-1994 British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, index & images ($)
1796-2005 British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index & images ($)

Offices to Contact

National Archives of Ghana
21 Castle Road Adjacent YWCA, Adabraka
P.O.Box GP 3056
Accra, Ghana
GA Address GH-GA-050-7200

Regional offices:^[1]

Greater Accra
Western North (Sefwi Wiawso)
Bono (Sunyani)
Volta (Ho)

Eastern Region (Koforidua)
Bono East (Techiman)
OTI (Dambai)
Upper West (WA)

Central Region (Cape Coast)
Ahofo (Goaso)
Savannah (Damango)
Upper East (Bolgatanga)

Western Region (Sekondi)
Ashanti (Kumasi)
North East (Nalerigu)
Northern (Tamale)

Places where a birth might be registered:^[2]

Civil registrar’s office
Mayor’s office
Other district or local authority
Hospital or health centre
Village/commune elder, head or administrator
in the place of occurrence of the birth

Places where a marriage might be registered:^[2]

Civil registrar’s office
Mayor’s office or other district or local authority
Tribunal
Village/commune;
Under special licence, the marriage is registered
where it takes place (i.e. courts and district offices,
churches, registrar’s office).

Places where a death might be registerd:^[2]

Civil registrar’s office
Hospital or health centre
Place of occurrence of the death

Some civil registration records are also in:
The National Archives, London
Kew, Richmond, Surrey
TW9 4DU
United Kingdom
Contact form (in lieu of email): web form
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8876 3444
Website: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Additional information: National Archives

Background

The efforts to create an archive started in 1946 and the first Ghanaian chief archivist was J. M. Akita in 1949.

The National Archives has births, marriages, and deaths for Europeans and Africans from 1872 to present.

For additional information, see History of the National Archives.

Coverage and Compliance

Population coverage: Approximately 80% of the population, but only after ca. 1930. Before that, 40% of the population. British population:60%, native population: 40%.

Information Recorded in the Records

For additional information about birth, marriage, and death registration in Ghana, see UNICEF Data: Monitoring the situation of children and women.

Births

Information:^[2]

Regarding the child:

Name
Date of birth
Sex
Place of occurrence [of the birth]
Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.)
Date of registration
Place of registration
Attendant at birth
Type of birth (single, twin, triplet and so forth)

Regarding the mother of the child

Date of birth or age
Educational attainment
Place of usual residence
Children born alive to the mother during her entire lifetime
Birth order parity
Maiden name
Nationality

Regarding the father of the child:

Date of birth or age of the father
Educational attainment
Nationality
Occupation (whether gainfully employed)
Religion

Witnesses’ names, residence, occupation, and sometimes relationship

Marriages

The legal age for marriage is 21 years old for both sexes. Marriage between ages 18 and 21 requires parents’ consent.^[2]

Information:^[2]

Names of candidates
Their residences
Date of marriage
Date of registration
Place of marriage
Place of registration
Date of birth or age of bride
Date of birth or age of groom
Sometimes parents’ or sponsors’ names and ages

Generally, for all the three types of marriage (customary, Mohamedan, and ordinance), the requirement is that men and women aged 18 years and above, who are not closely related by blood or through marriage, can lawfully enter into a marriage provided that other laws in force do not prohibit the relationship. The parties to an intended marriage identify themselves with a national ID; either one or both parties must have resided in the district of registration for at least 15 days prior to the registration of the marriage.

Deaths

Information:^[2]

Name of deceased
Sex
Date of birth or age
Marital status
Place of usual residence
Parents’ place of residence for deceased persons below age 15 years
Date of death
Place of death
Type of place (hospital, home, etc.)
Date of registration
Place of registration
Cause of death
Certifier

References

↑ Ghana Regional Offices - Public Records, c2019, Marichael Company Limited, J&F Fashtech, accessed 5 August 2019.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 ^2.6 UNICEF Data: Monitoring the situation of children and women, UNICEF Data for Ghana, accessed 5 August 2019. "Data sources: Information on civil registration systems was compiled over a period from December 2016 to November 2017 using the existing relevant legal frameworks and in consultation with CRVS experts, officials within the relevant national institutions, and UNICEF country offices. All reasonable precautions have been taken by UNICEF to verify this country profile; updates will be made to reflect changes in policy and implementation and/or new information."

[1] Ghana Regional Offices - Public Records, c2019, Marichael Company Limited, J&F Fashtech, accessed 5 August 2019.

[Unicef_Ghana-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 ^2.6 UNICEF Data: Monitoring the situation of children and women, UNICEF Data for Ghana, accessed 5 August 2019. "Data sources: Information on civil registration systems was compiled over a period from December 2016 to November 2017 using the existing relevant legal frameworks and in consultation with CRVS experts, officials within the relevant national institutions, and UNICEF country offices. All reasonable precautions have been taken by UNICEF to verify this country profile; updates will be made to reflect changes in policy and implementation and/or new information."

[1]

[2]