Ghana Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Ghana, go to the Religious Records page.

Church records
Research use: Church registers are a primary source of birth, marriage, and death information in Ghana. They identify names of parents, prove other relationships, and are very useful for linking generations.

Record type: Records of births/baptisms, marriages, and deaths/burials.

Time period: The earliest church registers date from 1800 to the present.

Contents: Baptisms – name of person baptized, birth and baptism dates, parent’s names. Marriages – names of canditates, marriage date and place. Burials –name of deceased, residence at time of death, age,death place, names of family members or relatives. Sometimes information regarding divorces and confirmations is given.

Location: National Archives, Accra, and Diocese Archives.

Percentage in Family History Library: 0%.

Population coverage: 40 to 80% of the total population depending upon the time period. Earlier coverage will include more English, but as more native Ghanaians converted to Christianity, more of the native population will be included. About 60% of the British population, 40% of the native population.

Reliability: Good.

Accessibility: Some information may be obtained through personal visits or correspondence if a relationship (immediate relatives) is proven.

Population Statistics
The religious composition of Ghana in the first postindependence population census of 1960 was 25 percent Muslim, 23 percent traditionalist, 41 percent Christian, and the rest (about 9 percent) other. A breakdown of the 1960 population according to Christian sects showed that 25 percent were Protestant (non-Pentecostal); 13 percent, Roman Catholic; 2 percent, Protestant (Pentecostal); and 1 percent, Independent African Churches. Wikipedia, Religion in Ghana

Presbyterian Church of Ghana

 * Wikipedia, Presbyterian Church of Ghana
 * Website
 * Google search for church records in Communications with the Basel Africa Bibliography