Privacy & Cookie Policy

Overview

The Ghana National Household Registry (GNHR), operated under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of all personal data it holds. This Privacy and Cookie Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how it is used, how it is protected, and the rights available to individuals whose data we hold.

This policy applies to:

Visitors to the GNHR website (www.gnhr.gov.gh)
Households and individuals registered in the GNHR database
Data requestors, researchers, and institutional partners
Staff and enumerators involved in GNHR operations

By using this website or participating in GNHR data collection, you acknowledge that your information may be processed as described in this policy.

Data We Collect

1. Registry / Household Data

Collected during field enumeration and household registration exercises, this includes:

Full name, date of birth, gender, and marital status
National Identification Authority (NIA) Ghana Card number
Household composition and relationship to household head
Geographic data: region, district, community, GPS coordinates
Housing conditions, assets, and livelihood information
Disability status and vulnerability indicators
Poverty classification scores (Proxy Means Test)

2. Website Usage Data

When you visit this website, we may automatically collect:

IP address and approximate location (country/region level only)
Browser type, operating system, and device type
Pages visited, time spent, and navigation paths
Referring website or search engine

3. Data Request Form Submissions

When you submit a data request, we collect:

Full name, organisation, and job title
Contact email address and phone number
Purpose of data request and intended use
Institutional affiliation and ethics clearance details (where applicable)

How We Use Your Information

GNHR uses collected data strictly for the following purposes:

Social Protection Targeting

Identifying and verifying eligible beneficiaries for government programmes such as LEAP, NHIS, and school feeding.

Policy Planning & Research

Supporting evidence-based policy decisions by government agencies and authorised research institutions.

Registry Maintenance

Updating, verifying, and de-duplicating household records to maintain registry accuracy and integrity.

Interoperability

Linking registry data with NIA, NHIA, GES, and other MDA databases to improve service delivery coordination.

Website Analytics

Understanding how visitors use this website so we can improve its content and usability.

Data Request Processing

Reviewing, approving, and responding to formal data requests from institutions and researchers.

Important: GNHR will never sell, rent, or trade personal data to commercial third parties. Registry data is only shared in accordance with Ghana's data protection laws and GNHR's data sharing protocols.

Data Sharing & Disclosure

GNHR may share data only in the following controlled circumstances:

Government Ministries, Departments & Agencies (MDAs)

Aggregated or de-identified data may be shared with authorised MDAs (e.g. NHIA, GES, LEAP, NSS) for inter-operability and social protection programme delivery.

Research Institutions & Development Partners

Anonymised or aggregated datasets may be shared with approved researchers and development partners under a signed Data Sharing Agreement (DSA), subject to ethics approval and MoGCSP authorisation.

Legal Obligation

GNHR may disclose information where required by Ghanaian law, court order, or regulatory authority, in compliance with the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).

What We Do Not Share

We do not share individual-level personally identifiable information (PII) publicly. We do not sell data to private companies, advertisers, or political organisations under any circumstances.

Your Rights

Under the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) of Ghana, individuals whose data is held by GNHR have the following rights:

Right of Access

You may request a copy of the personal data GNHR holds about you.

Right to Correction

You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data held about you or your household.

Right to Object

You may object to certain types of data processing, including use of your data for research purposes beyond social protection.

Right to Complain

You may lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission of Ghana if you believe your rights have been violated.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in the Contact section below.

Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. The GNHR website uses a minimal set of cookies to ensure the site functions correctly and to understand how it is used.

Cookie Name	Type	Purpose	Duration
PHPSESSID	Essential	Maintains your session across pages (e.g., data request form). No personal data stored.	Session (expires on browser close)
gnhr_cookie_consent	Essential	Stores your cookie consent preference so you are not asked again.	12 months
_ga, _gid	Analytics	Google Analytics — tracks page views and visitor behaviour in aggregate to improve the website. No personal data is sent.	2 years / 24 hours

Managing Cookies

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Please be aware that disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of this website. The following links explain how to manage cookies in popular browsers:

Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Apple Safari

Data Security

GNHR takes the security of personal data seriously. We have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures include:

Encryption of data in transit using HTTPS/TLS protocols
Role-based access controls limiting data access to authorised personnel only
Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
Secure server infrastructure hosted within government-managed data centres
Staff training on data protection obligations and handling procedures
Data anonymisation before sharing with third-party researchers

Despite these safeguards, no electronic transmission over the internet is completely secure. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure, please notify us immediately at datarequest@mogcsp.gov.gh.