Ghana has a great many regulators, and the reason it matters is practical: when something goes wrong, the institution that can actually do something about it is usually not the one you are arguing with.
A bank that will not release your money answers to the Bank of Ghana. A telco that billed you twice answers to the NCA. A landlord answers to the Rent Control Department. Knowing which door to knock on is most of the battle, and a complaint addressed to the right regulator, in writing, changes behaviour that months of phone calls will not.
This is a map, not a phone book. Contact details change; mandates change far more slowly.
The interactive map of Greater Accra shows which of the 29 district assemblies you are standing in, and which constituency it holds.
Identity, civil status and citizenship
| Body | What it does | You need it for |
|---|---|---|
| National Identification Authority (NIA) | Issues the Ghana Card | Identity, and therefore everything |
| Births and Deaths Registry | Civil registration | Birth and death certificates |
| Passport Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Ghanaian passports; authentication of documents | Travel, documents going abroad |
| Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) | Entry, residence, work permits | Visas, permits, citizenship processing |
| Electoral Commission | Voter register and elections | Voter ID |
— Ghana Card · Passports · Birth certificates
Tax, business and trade
| Body | What it does | You need it for |
|---|---|---|
| Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) | Income tax, VAT, customs | PAYE, filing, duty |
| Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) | Business and company registration | Registering a business |
| Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) | Registers foreign investment | Minimum capital, investor status |
| GEPA | Non-traditional export promotion | Exporting |
| Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) | Standards and conformity assessment | Product certification, imports |
| Ghana Free Zones Authority | Free zone licences | Export-oriented manufacturing |
— Registering a business · Income tax and PAYE · Exporting
Money and financial services
| Body | What it regulates | Complain to it about |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of Ghana | Banks, forex bureaux, mobile money issuers, payment services | A bank or wallet provider that will not act |
| Securities and Exchange Commission | Capital markets, fund managers, investment advisers | An investment scheme or fund manager |
| National Insurance Commission | Insurers and brokers | A refused or unpaid insurance claim |
| National Pensions Regulatory Authority | Tier 2 and Tier 3 pension schemes | Your employer not remitting contributions |
| SSNIT | The Tier 1 basic national pension | Contribution records and benefits |
Check the regulator before you invest
Every few years Ghana loses a great deal of household money to a scheme promising returns no licensed institution offers. The SEC and the Bank of Ghana publish lists of licensed institutions. If the entity taking your money is not on one, that is the whole answer.
— Opening a bank account · Mobile money · SSNIT and pensions
Utilities and energy
| Body | What it does |
|---|---|
| Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) | Sets electricity and water tariffs; hears consumer complaints |
| Energy Commission | Licenses electricity and gas operators; energy efficiency standards |
| Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) | Distributes power in southern Ghana |
| Ghana Water Company | Urban water supply |
| National Petroleum Authority | Petroleum products, fuel prices, LPG |
PURC is the one most people should use and almost nobody does. A billing dispute with ECG that has gone nowhere is a PURC complaint.
— Electricity and dumsor · Water in Accra
Communications and technology
| Body | What it does |
|---|---|
| National Communications Authority | Licenses telecoms, allocates spectrum, quality of service |
| Data Protection Commission | Enforces the Data Protection Act 2012 (Act 843) |
| Cyber Security Authority | Cybersecurity incidents, online fraud reporting |
| Ghana Post | Postal services and the GhanaPostGPS address system |
Health, food and medicines
| Body | What it does |
|---|---|
| FDA | Food, drugs, cosmetics, devices, supplements |
| Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service | Public health delivery |
| National Health Insurance Authority | Runs NHIS |
| Medical and Dental Council | Registers and disciplines doctors and dentists |
| Nursing and Midwifery Council | Registers nurses and midwives |
| Pharmacy Council | Registers pharmacists and licenses pharmacies |
| Health Facilities Regulatory Agency | Licenses hospitals, clinics and labs |
You can check a practitioner
The professional councils maintain registers. If you are unsure whether the person about to treat you is registered, that is a question with an answer.
— Finding a doctor · NHIS · Pharmacies
Education
| Body | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ghana Education Service | Public basic and secondary schools |
| Ghana Tertiary Education Commission | Accredits universities and tertiary programmes |
| West African Examinations Council | BECE and WASSCE |
| National Schools Inspectorate Authority | Inspects and licenses schools |
| Commission for TVET | Technical and vocational training |
| Student Loan Trust Fund | Student loans for tertiary students |
Accreditation is checkable, and worth checking. A tertiary programme that is not accredited produces a qualification that a foreign university or a professional body may not recognise.
— Schools in Accra · Universities in Ghana · Learning a trade
Land, housing and construction
| Body | What it does |
|---|---|
| Lands Commission | Land registration, title, searches |
| Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands | Stool land revenue |
| Town and Country Planning, through the assemblies | Zoning and development permits |
| Rent Control Department | Tenancy disputes, free of charge |
| Ghana Institution of Surveyors | Professional standards for surveyors |
— Buying land · Tenancy agreements · The rent advance
Transport
| Body | What it does |
|---|---|
| DVLA | Licences, vehicle registration, roadworthy |
| National Road Safety Authority | Road safety policy and education |
| Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority | Tema and Takoradi ports |
| Ghana Civil Aviation Authority | Aviation |
| Ghana Maritime Authority | Shipping and maritime safety |
— Driving licences · Vehicle registration
Work, rights and redress
| Body | What it does |
|---|---|
| Labour Department | Employment standards, workplace complaints |
| National Labour Commission | Industrial disputes and unfair dismissal |
| Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice | Complaints about public bodies and administrative injustice |
| Legal Aid Commission | Legal help for those who cannot pay |
| Office of the Special Prosecutor | Corruption offences |
| Economic and Organised Crime Office | Economic and organised crime |
CHRAJ is badly under-used. A government agency that has treated you unfairly — refused a service you are entitled to, lost your file, demanded something the law does not require — is exactly what it exists for, and it costs nothing.
— Your rights as an employee · Lawyers and professional services
Environment and natural resources
| Body | What it does |
|---|---|
| Environmental Protection Authority | Environmental permits and impact assessment |
| Forestry Commission | Forests and wildlife |
| Minerals Commission | Mining licences and regulation |
| Fisheries Commission | Fishing and aquaculture |
| Water Resources Commission | Water abstraction rights |
How to complain so that it works
- Complain to the provider first, in writing, and keep the reference. Most regulators will ask whether you did
- Give them a reasonable deadline, in the letter
- Escalate to the regulator in writing, attaching the correspondence
- State what you want. A refund, a correction, a service. A complaint without a remedy attached is a letter of feelings
- Keep it factual. Dates, amounts, account numbers, names
- Copy CHRAJ where a public body is involved
Writing beats calling
A phone call leaves no record and no obligation. A dated letter or email creates both, and it is what a regulator will ask you to produce.