Data Protection

Privacy Notice

This notice explains how the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology handles personal information provided through this website and related digital services.

Effective:26 August 2026

Our Commitment

Protecting personal information

The Ministry respects the privacy of individuals who interact with its website and is committed to handling personal information responsibly and in accordance with Ghana’s Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).

This Privacy Notice describes the information that may be collected through the Ministry’s website, the purposes for which it may be processed, circumstances in which it may be disclosed, and the rights available to individuals whose personal information is processed.

For the purposes of this website, the data controller is:

Ministry of Environment, Science and TechnologyP.O. Box M232, Ministries, Accra, GhanaDigital Address:GA-107-3073info@mesti.gov.gh

The Ministry determines the purposes for which personal information submitted through its website and related digital channels is processed.

The type of personal information collected depends on how an individual interacts with the Ministry’s website. It may include:

name and contact information, including an email address;
information contained in enquiries or correspondence submitted to the Ministry;
information submitted as part of an official information request or other Ministry service;
technical information generated when the website is accessed, such as browser type, device information, IP address and server logs where these are collected by the Ministry’s hosting infrastructure;
other information voluntarily provided through a Ministry digital service.

The Ministry will seek to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

Personal information may be processed for purposes connected with the Ministry’s lawful and official functions, including:

receiving, assessing and responding to public enquiries;
directing correspondence to the appropriate Directorate, Unit or Agency;
processing requests for information and other official services;
administering and maintaining the Ministry’s website;
maintaining website security and investigating technical or cybersecurity incidents;
improving the accessibility, reliability and usefulness of Ministry digital services;
meeting statutory, regulatory, administrative and public-record obligations.

Where an individual submits an enquiry through a Ministry form, personal information such as the person’s name, email address, subject and message may be collected in order to receive and respond to the enquiry.

The information may be referred internally to the Directorate, Unit or officer responsible for addressing the matter.

Current website status

The online general enquiry form will not process or transmit personal information until an approved Ministry form-processing or email service has been connected.

Information submitted in connection with a request under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989) may be processed to identify the request, communicate with the applicant, locate relevant records and administer the request in accordance with applicable law and official procedures.

Information relating to RTI requests may form part of official Ministry records and may therefore be retained in accordance with applicable public-sector records management requirements.

Visit Right to Information

Personal information may be shared where reasonably necessary for an official purpose, including with:

authorised Ministry officers, Directorates and Units;
Agencies or other public institutions where an enquiry or official matter falls within their responsibilities;
approved information technology, website hosting, security or communications service providers acting on behalf of the Ministry;
regulatory, investigative or law-enforcement bodies where disclosure is authorised or required by law.

The Ministry does not publish or disclose personal information merely because it has been submitted through the website.

Personal information will be retained only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, meet legal or administrative obligations, maintain official records, resolve disputes or protect the Ministry’s legitimate institutional interests.

Retention periods may differ depending on the nature of the information and the applicable records-management, legal or operational requirements.

The Ministry seeks to apply appropriate technical and organisational safeguards to protect personal information against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, destruction or other unlawful processing.

Access to personal information should be limited to authorised persons who require the information for legitimate official duties.

The Ministry website may use technologies that are necessary for the operation, security and performance of the website.

If analytics, measurement tools or other technologies that are not strictly necessary for website operation are introduced, this Privacy Notice and any applicable cookie information will be updated to explain their use.

Current position

No claim is made in this notice that the Ministry currently uses advertising, behavioural profiling or non-essential tracking technologies.

Subject to applicable law and the circumstances of the processing, individuals may have rights concerning their personal information, including the right to:

be informed about the processing of their personal data;
request access to personal information held about them;
request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information;
object to certain processing of their personal information;
withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
raise a concern or complaint about the handling of their personal information.

A request to exercise a data protection right should provide sufficient information to enable the Ministry to identify the individual and the information concerned.

Questions, concerns or requests relating to personal information handled through this website may be submitted to the Ministry through its official contact channel:

Ministry of Environment, Science and Technologyinfo@mesti.gov.ghP.O. Box M232, Ministries, Accra, Ghana

Where the Ministry formally designates a specific Data Protection Supervisor or privacy contact for public correspondence, the relevant details may be published here.

An individual who has concerns about the processing of personal information should first contact the Ministry so that the matter can be considered.

Individuals may also raise concerns with Ghana’s Data Protection Commission in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).

Data Protection Commission

This Privacy Notice may be reviewed and updated when there are changes to the Ministry’s website, digital services, personal-data processing activities, legal obligations or institutional arrangements.

The effective date displayed at the top of this page indicates the version currently published on the website.