.gh

Country-code top-level domains

Overview

.gh is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to Ghana. Introduced on 19 January 1995, it is intended for entities connected with Ghana and is commonly used by Ghanaian organizations. Management and registry responsibilities have involved the Ghana Network Information Center (GhNIC) and Network Computer Systems (NCS).

History

Delegated in 1995; IANA records show delegation to Network Computer Systems with Prof. Nii Narku Quaynor as administrative contact and William Tevie as technical contact.
The Electronic Transactions Act (Act 772) of 2008 led to a mandate for the Ghana Domain Name Registry (GDNR) to administer the .gh domain space.
Around 2012 the government procured servers for the registry; systems were installed at the National Data Centre managed by the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) while an entity called Ghana Dot Com managed the system.
In 2017 the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation took steps to implement Act 772 by establishing GDNR to administer .gh.
From 2023–2024 there were formal communications and petitions concerning redelegation/transfer of the .gh registry to GDNR; key figures in the discussion include government bodies, the Local Internet Community (LIC), and Prof. Nii Quaynor, who raised concerns about GDNR's authority and technical capacity.

Usage and Audience

Intended use: entities connected with Ghana.
Actual use: popular within Ghana and predominantly used by Ghanaian companies, government institutions, educational bodies and organizations.
Common second-level labels and intended audiences:
- .com.gh — companies
- .edu.gh — schools and academic institutions
- .org.gh — organisations
- .gov.gh — government
- .parliament.gh — Parliament of Ghana
- .isoc.gh — Internet Society (ISOC) Ghana Chapter
- .nic.gh — Ghana Network Information Center
- .cocobod.gh — Ghana Cocoa Board
- .techgov.gh — Techgov initiatives
- .yellowpages.gh — Yellow Pages Ghana directory

Registration Rules

Administrative and company requirements:
- The domain administrator must be located in Ghana.
- The company of the domain administrator must be registered in Ghana.
Structure:
- Registrations are generally made at the third level beneath established second-level labels (e.g., example.com.gh).
- Second-level registrations were formerly accepted but the current structure emphasizes third-level registrations under designated labels.
Technical guidance:
- Primary DNS servers for .gh-registered domains are encouraged to be located in Ghana, though this is not strictly required.
Name length:
- Domains should be more than three characters; an exception exists for .edu.gh, which can be shorter.
Dispute policy: UDRP is listed as the dispute resolution policy for the zone.

SEO and Brand Impact

.gh signals a clear Ghanaian presence and is commonly used for local branding and services aimed at Ghanaian audiences.
Its primary value is geographic and organizational trust within Ghana rather than broad international branding.

Notable Cases or Examples

Examples of specialized second-level labels and institutional uses include .nic.gh (GhNIC), .cocobod.gh (Ghana Cocoa Board), and .parliament.gh (Parliament of Ghana).
Redelegation and governance discussions (post-2008 Act 772, actions around 2012, and communications during 2017–2024) have been notable developments in the administration of the .gh namespace.

Operator

Network Computer Systems Limited

Whois

% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       GH

organisation: Network Computer Systems Limited
address:      16 Boundary Road, East Legon
address:      PMB CT 358
address:      Accra
address:      Ghana

contact:      administrative
name:         Executive Chairman
organisation: Network Computer Systems Limited
address:      16 Boundary Road, East Legon
address:      PMB CT 358
address:      Accra
address:      Ghana
phone:        +233289518437
fax-no:       +233302521696
e-mail:       quaynor@ghana.com

contact:      technical
name:         CTO
organisation: Network Computer Systems Limited
address:      16 Boundary Road, East Legon
address:      PMB CT 358
address:      Accra
address:      Ghana
phone:        +233289518437
fax-no:       +233302521696
e-mail:       tevie@ghana.com

nserver:      NS.DNS.BR 200.160.0.5 2001:12ff:0:a20:0:0:0:5
nserver:      NS1.NIC.GH 197.253.95.251
nserver:      NS2.NIC.GH 197.253.127.251

whois:        whois.nic.gh

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.nic.gh

created:      1995-01-19
changed:      2023-12-11
source:       IANA

Registrars

Gandi