Who operates GYIMA
GYIMA is operated by Merimei Studio, a Ghanaian sole proprietorship. For privacy questions, contact info@gyima.com.
This policy is governed primarily by Ghana’s Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843). It explains the information the current GYIMA marketplace processes and the choices available to people who use it.
Information we collect
We collect information that is needed to operate the marketplace, connect customers with providers, protect the service and understand how the product is used.
Accounts and authentication
When you create or use an account, GYIMA processes your email address and any profile information you provide, such as your name and phone number. Authentication is provided through Supabase Auth. GYIMA does not receive or display your password as part of the marketplace profile.
Required and optional information
Some information is required to provide a particular GYIMA feature. If required information is not provided, that feature may not be available. Other fields are optional and can be provided at your choice.
To create an account, the current sign-up flow requires your full name, email address and authentication credentials. To submit a job request, the current form requires a service, service area, work description of at least 10 characters and at least one reachable contact: a phone number or WhatsApp number entered with the request, or a phone number already saved to your account.
The job form labels preferred date, preferred time and WhatsApp as optional; a phone field can be left blank when another permitted contact is available. For a provider listing, the current form requires a business name, phone number, at least one service and at least one service area. WhatsApp, the provider description, experience, per-service descriptions and pricing are not required by that form, and availability is a separate operational setting.
Customer requests and jobs
A customer job request can include the selected service and area, a description of the work, a preferred date and time, a contact phone number and an optional WhatsApp number. We also keep the job reference, status, status history, timestamps and information needed to show whether work was accepted, started, marked complete, confirmed by the customer, cancelled or disputed.
Provider listings
Provider profiles can include a business name, description, phone number, WhatsApp number, experience, profile image, services, per-service descriptions and pricing, service areas and operational availability. Availability can include an available, busy or unavailable status, an optional available-from date and a short note.
Images, reviews and moderation
Providers can submit portfolio images, captions and the declaration connected with those images. Customers can upload up to five images for a job that has been verified by the customer. These Verified Work images are linked to that exact job and carry a moderation status.
Customers can submit ratings, hire-again feedback and review text for a Verified Job. GYIMA also processes provider profile revisions, image moderation statuses and reasons, review information and operational records used by administrators. Internal admin notes and moderation notes are kept for administration and are not public marketplace content.
Support and contact messages
If you contact GYIMA through the support form, we process the name, email address, category, subject, message and any optional job reference you provide so that we can understand and respond to your request. Please do not include passwords, payment card details or unnecessary sensitive information.
Notifications and analytics
In-app notifications can record marketplace updates such as job requests, job status changes, review activity and moderation decisions. Product analytics events can record a marketplace visit, search, provider profile view, contact click, WhatsApp click, quote request and protected job or review lifecycle events. These records can include a browser session identifier, a signed-in user identifier when available, related provider/service/area/job identifiers, limited metadata and timestamps. For marketplace visits, limited metadata can also include the landing path, device class, referral domain and campaign tags such as UTM source, medium or campaign so GYIMA can understand which acquisition channels are working.
Technical and security information
Supabase and Vercel may process technical information needed to provide hosting, authentication, database, storage and security services. This can include request, browser, device, network and security-log information handled by those services. The browser also uses authentication cookies and session storage for the signed-in session and analytics de-duplication.
How we use information
- to create and secure accounts;
- to send and manage customer job requests and provider responses;
- to display approved provider listings and help customers compare services;
- to manage job status, Verified Jobs, Verified Reviews and customer-uploaded Verified Work;
- to moderate provider listings, portfolio images, profile changes and Verified Work images;
- to respond to support, account, job, provider, technical and privacy enquiries;
- to send private in-app notifications and, only when configured, attempt notification email delivery;
- to measure real marketplace activity and improve the product without changing the meaning of lifecycle or verification records; and
- to prevent misuse, investigate problems, maintain security and meet legal obligations.
Depending on the activity and what the law requires, our lawful grounds may include your consent, performance of the marketplace service or an agreement with you, our legitimate interests in running a safe and useful marketplace, and legal obligations.
What information may be public
GYIMA is a marketplace, so some provider and trust content is intentionally public:
- approved provider listings and the information included in them, including services, pricing, service areas and availability;
- provider contact details when the provider supplies them and the public profile displays them;
- approved provider Portfolio Work;
- approved customer Verified Work images linked to a Verified Job; and
- submitted Verified Reviews, including ratings and review text, when they are published.
Customer account details, private job information, pending or rejected images and internal admin or moderation notes are not intended to be public. GYIMA’s hero and other editorial marketing images are brand assets; they are not provider evidence, Portfolio Work, Verified Work, reviews or job images.
Service providers and hosting
The current application uses the following service providers for the functions described above:
- Supabase provides authentication, the application database and private file storage for portfolio and Verified Work images.
- Vercel hosts the Next.js application and its server-side routes.
- Notification and support email, when enabled, is delivered through GYIMA’s configured SMTP/email-hosting infrastructure, currently intended for the ALL-INKL/KAS mailbox service. If the required SMTP settings are absent, notification delivery is marked as skipped and no email is sent.
These providers may process information in countries outside Ghana. Where information is handled internationally, GYIMA will take steps appropriate to the service and the requirements of applicable data-protection law.
Security and retention
We use access controls, row-level security, private storage policies, signed image URLs, authenticated actions and moderation controls to protect information. No online service can promise absolute security, so please use a strong account password and contact us promptly if you suspect misuse.
We keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, the marketplace relationship, safety and dispute handling, security, legitimate business records or a legal obligation. The necessary period depends on the type of information and the circumstances. We do not claim a fixed retention period in this policy.
Your choices and rights
Subject to applicable law and reasonable verification, you may ask us to:
- tell you what personal information we hold about you and how it is used;
- correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
- delete information where there is no lawful reason to keep it;
- withdraw consent where processing relies on consent; or
- consider an objection or restriction request where applicable.
Some information may need to be retained or may already be part of a published provider listing or review. We will explain any limits that apply to a request. You may also raise a concern with Ghana’s Data Protection Commission if you believe your data-protection rights have not been addressed.
Contact and policy updates
For a privacy request, complaint or question, email info@gyima.com. Please do not include passwords or unnecessary sensitive information in your first message.
We may update this policy when the marketplace, its processing or the law changes. The latest version will be published at gyima.com/privacy with its updated date.