Ghana has launched a digital platform to enable members of the public to verify marriage and divorce records, marriage officers, venues and licensed Imams.
The platform, known as Marrify, was launched in Accra on Aug. 28 by Marry Right Ghana Limited in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Marrify operates as a searchable registry covering ordinance, customary and Islamic marriages, with users able to search records using names, spouse names, towns, churches, certificate numbers and Gazette numbers.
It also provides registers of authorised marriage officers, licensed venues and Imams, with records sourced from the Registrar-General’s Department, courts, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, and the Ghana Gazette.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, urged prospective couples to verify information about their partners, marriage venues and officiants before getting married.
“It is a reminder of the need to uphold the highest standard of integrity and accountability,” she said.
Lartey also urged Marry Right Ghana to collaborate with government institutions, religious bodies, traditional authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that information on the platform remained accurate and regularly updated.
Marrify also contains divorce records based on court rulings and judgments, with some linked to the marriages concerned.
The platform, however, cautions that records are still being uploaded, stressing that a search yielding no result does not necessarily mean that a person has never been married.
It also allows individuals and institutions to submit marriage and divorce records, alongside supporting documents, for verification.
