Abstract
From mobile operator data (Call Detail Records, CDRs*), it is possible to gather data on internal displacements complementary to those collected in the field - in particular long distance displacements across Ghana - and estimate precise timing and chronology.
The aim of the present report is to showcase how mobility estimates derived from Telecel Ghana’s mobile phone usage data (pseudonymised Call detail
records, CDRs) can support NADMO with monitoring displacements immediately after an event (e.g. attack in Sawla Tuna-Kalba district on 24 August 2025), and in cases of long-term displacement crisis (e.g. Bawku since 2021).
In addition, CDRs can provide unparalleled quantitative information on the evolution of population density over time necessary to NADMO’s preparedness efforts, needs assessment and risk mapping (see “Thematic Brief: Population Mobility & Distributions in Ghana in 2024” )
About the report
Data & data privacy
The mobile network data provided by Telecel Ghana to Flowminder is pseudonymised. This means that no personal data, such as an individual’s identity, demographics, location, contacts or movements, is made available to the government or any other third party at any time. All results produced by Flowminder are aggregated results (for example, subscriber density in a given municipality), which means that they do not contain any information about individual subscribers. This approach complies with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR 2016/679). Data is processed on a server installed behind Telecel Ghana’s firewall in Ghana, and no personal data leaves the operator’s premises.
Data considerations
The estimates shown are our best current assessment of movements from non-traditional data: anonymised data from a mobile network operator. However, there are a number of uncertainties. The information should be interpreted together with other available evidence.
Authorship & acknowledgements
This report was authored by the Flowminder Foundation.
This study was made possible thanks to the pseudonymised call detail records (CDR data) provided by Telecel Ghana.
This report was funded with UK International Development from the UK government. The current study is being conducted thanks to the Data for Good Partnership involving Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Telecel Ghana and Flowminder Foundation, which aims to leverage mobile network operator data to support decision making in Ghana.