Ghana Launches Digital Platform To Verify Marriage, Divorce Records

Ghana has introduced a digital platform that enables members of the public to verify marriage and divorce records, as well as confirm the status of marriage officers, licensed venues and Imams, YEN reports on Friday.

The platform, called Marrify, was unveiled in Accra on August 28 by Marry Right Ghana Limited in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

Marrify functions as an online marriage and divorce registry, providing access to records covering ordinance, customary and Islamic marriages.

Members of the public can conduct searches using information such as the names of individuals, spouses’ names, towns, churches, denominations, certificate numbers and Gazette numbers.

Beyond marriage records, the platform features a database of marriage officers authorised to conduct civil or ordinance marriages. Users can also verify licensed marriage venues and Imams through the platform.

According to the platform, its database is compiled from records obtained from institutions including the Registrar-General’s Department, courts, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, as well as the Ghana Gazette.

Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, urged prospective couples to carry out proper checks on their partners, proposed marriage venues and officiating persons before proceeding with their unions.

She said, “It is a reminder of the need to uphold the highest standard of integrity and accountability.

“You would not have to take a person’s word for it, even in the most trusted relationship. You can verify with this app. And then again, when making a decision on the venue, who has to officiate the marriage, where it is officiated, the officiant, and the status of the one you are getting married to.

“These are the critical issues we need to ponder over, verify and be sure of before taking the needed step. As a ministry, we’ve used our platform to promote the app and engage with our stakeholders and potential beneficiaries. To ensure that Ghanaians live in awareness. So that you do not invest for so many years, resources and find out that all the investment has gone in vain.”

Lartey further called on Marry Right Ghana to collaborate with government agencies, religious organisations, traditional institutions and other relevant stakeholders to maintain the accuracy of information on the platform and ensure that records are updated regularly.

The digital registry also includes divorce records arising from court rulings and judgments, with some divorce entries linked to the corresponding marriage records.

However, Marrify warns users that its database is still being populated. It therefore advises that the absence of a record in a search should not, on its own, be regarded as confirmation that an individual has never been married.

The platform also provides a mechanism for individuals and institutions to submit marriage and divorce records, alongside relevant supporting documents, for verification.