Privacy Notification: Prospective Students and Enquirers

 

This Privacy Notification applies to individuals who enquire about or engage with the consultation, marketing, or application support services offered jointly by Higher Education Partners Africa (“HEP Africa”) and the University of Professional Studies, Accra (“UPSA”).

Both institutions are committed to safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity, and lawful use of all personal information processed during the course of providing these services.

 

Responsible Parties

For the purpose of data protection and privacy laws, both entities may act as Responsible Parties (or “Data Controllers”) and/or Operators (or “Data Processors”), depending on the nature of the processing activity:

• University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA)
  37 Gamel Abdul Nasser Avenue, Accra, Ghana
  Telephone: +233 30 393 7542
  Website: https://upsa.edu.gh
  Regulated by the Ghana Data Protection Commission under the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).
• Higher Education Partners Africa (HEP Africa)
  1st Floor, Oxford & Glenhove Building, Melrose Estate, Johannesburg, South Africa
  Regulated by the Information Regulator (South Africa) under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).

HEP Africa provides digital marketing, student engagement, and enrolment support services on behalf of UPSA, in accordance with applicable data protection laws of both countries.

 

Personal Information Collected

We may collect and process the following types of personal information:

• Identifying and Contact Information: Name, surname, email address, phone number, postal address, nationality, and identification number.
• Professional and Academic Information: Employer, job title, previous studies, and programme interest.
• Communications Data: Records of interactions between students and our teams via email, telephone, chat, or online forms.
• Usage Data: Website and service usage metrics (such as IP address, browser type, location, and device information).
• Special Categories (Sensitive Data): Information relating to health or disability, where voluntarily provided for support or accommodation purposes.

Personal information may be collected directly from you or indirectly through online forms, website cookies, or telephone consultations.

 

Purpose of Processing

Your personal information may be processed for the following purposes:

1. To manage and respond to enquiries and provide consultation regarding UPSA programmes.
2. To maintain communication records and support ongoing student engagement.
3. To send relevant marketing and informational material, with your consent.
4. To analyse trends and improve the quality of our services.
5. To maintain proper administrative and transactional records.

We will only process personal information that is necessary, relevant, and proportionate to the purposes for which it is collected.

 

Legal Basis for Processing

Depending on the activity, we process your personal data under one or more of the following legal bases:

• Your consent (for marketing communications and optional information).
• Performance of a contract or pre-contractual measures (when processing an enquiry or application).
• Legitimate interests (for quality improvement, analytics, and service optimisation).
• Compliance with a legal obligation (when required by law or regulation).

Cross-Border Data Transfers

Personal data collected in Ghana may be securely transferred to South Africa for processing by HEP Africa.
Both HEP Africa and UPSA ensure that such transfers are subject to:

• Contractual safeguards and data protection agreements between the parties, and
• Technical and organisational security measures that meet the standards required by both Ghana’s Data Protection Act and South Africa’s POPI Act.

Data will not be transferred to or accessed from any other jurisdiction without equivalent safeguards in place.

 

Data Retention

Personal information is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected or to comply with legal, regulatory, or contractual obligations.
Where applicable, non-identifiable, aggregated data may be retained for research and analytical purposes.

 

Your Data Protection Rights

Under both the Ghanaian and South African data protection laws, you have the right to:

• Access and obtain a copy of your personal data.
• Request correction or deletion of inaccurate or outdated information.
• Object to or restrict processing in certain circumstances.
• Withdraw consent for processing where consent has been provided.
• Lodge a complaint with the relevant regulator (see contact details below).
• Requests to exercise these rights can be directed to either institution using the contact details provided below.

 

Contact Details

University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA)
Email: info@upsa.edu.gh
Telephone: +233 30 393 7542
Website: https://upsa.edu.gh