Last updated 25 September 2026
Data sources and licences
Every API Ghana dataset is built from published open data. Here is each source, its licence, and what that licence asks of you.
1. What you are paying for
API Ghana compiles published open data about Ghana, cleans it, tags each record with its region and district, and serves it through one API. When you subscribe to a plan (or licence access to datasets) you pay for that work and for API access — you do not receive exclusive rights to the underlying data, which stays under the licence of its source. The data is not produced or verified by any government body.
2. Access vs source licence
Access is what API Ghana sells: a plan (or later a pack or yearly licence) that lets your API key read the compiled tables. Source licence is what the original publisher set (ODbL, CC BY, and so on). You must still follow the source licence when you republish or derive from the data.
See plans and pricing for how access works today.
3. Where each dataset comes from
Every record names its source in its source field, and every dataset page names its source too. The sources are:
OpenStreetMap
All mapped places: schools, health facilities, businesses, roads, infrastructure, water, land use and more.
Licence: Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0
What it asks of you: Attribute “© OpenStreetMap contributors”. If you publicly share a database derived from this data, share it under the ODbL too, and keep any adapted version open.
World Bank Open Data
The indicator series (economy, trade, health, education and others) and development projects.
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
What it asks of you: Attribute the World Bank as the source. A small number of World Bank series come from third parties with their own terms, named in the World Bank's metadata for that indicator.
Open-Meteo (ERA5 reanalysis by Copernicus / ECMWF)
Monthly and daily climate history for regional capitals.
Licence: CC BY 4.0
What it asks of you: Attribute Open-Meteo and Copernicus Climate Change Service (ERA5).
GBIF
Species occurrence records and the species checklist.
Licence: CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0, per record
What it asks of you: Records licensed CC BY 4.0 must be attributed to their publisher, named in each record's dataset_name. Only records published under CC0 or CC BY are included; non-commercial (CC BY-NC) records are excluded.
geoBoundaries
Region and district outlines, used to tag every mapped record and in the regions and districts tables.
Licence: Regions: CC BY-SA 2.0 · Districts: CC BY 4.0
What it asks of you: Attribute geoBoundaries. Share adaptations of the regions data under the same licence.
Wikidata
Notable organisations and their founding years.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain)
What it asks of you: None required; attribution is appreciated.
Nager.Date
Public holidays.
Licence: Open data (MIT)
What it asks of you: None beyond keeping the licence notice if you redistribute it in bulk.
Minerals Commission of Ghana
The mineral rights register (mining_licences).
Licence: Minerals Commission terms of use
What it asks of you: Government register data. Follow the Minerals Commission's published terms when you redistribute or republish it.
4. Attribution when you publish
If you show or share data from API Ghana, credit the original source as its licence requires, for example:
Data: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via API Ghana
The source field on each record tells you which credit applies. Where a licence is share-alike (ODbL, CC BY-SA), anything you publicly share that is derived from that data must stay under the same licence.
5. Corrections
Open data has gaps and mistakes. If you find one, tell us at info@apighana.com. For OpenStreetMap data, the fastest lasting fix is to correct it on openstreetmap.org, where it will flow into the next refresh.