Birth and Death Registry Bemoans low rate of Child birth registration in the country

The Acting Registrar of Birth and Death Mr Stephen Kwaku Amoah has revealed that in 2009 alone, roughly half of the children born in Ghana did not receive birth certificate. According to him because these children lacks birth certificate, they will face difficulties accessing socila program such as health care and education.

Mr. Amoah made these staggering revelation at a stakeholders meeting organised by the Birth and Death Registry for Fiath Base Organisations(FBO) in Accra.

Acknowledging the problem of inadequate birth and death registrations in Ghana as a serious problem,the Acting Registrar pointed out some interventions being taken up by his outfit in sensitizing the general public to improve registration coverage in the country."The Registry has also experimented with a focused registration program called the Community Population Register Program (CPRP) has yielded outstanding results. The Registry partnered with Ghana Statistical Service, Ghana Health Service, District Assemblies, Plan Ghana and UNFPA to implement the plan in now 26 communities across the country. The Program uses volunters to help register Vital Events. They submits data to the Registry staff who then process the data at the district offices.

He further noted that to reverse the current trend there is the need for stakeholders including FBO's to join the force to induce creative methods of increasing birth and deaths registration among their followers.

He then contended that Faith Basee Organisations plays a vital role in the lives and cultures of most people throughout the world. Indeed in Ghana about 78 per cent of people identify themselves as members of a religious or spiritual community and attend a religious activies at least once a week and though they may follow different traditions and worship very differently, they invariably can agree on many things, including the importance of Birth and Death registration."Religion and faith base institutions have a great deal of influence among their followers in Ghana. They combined network of these institutions is larely and well structured, with churches, mosques and missions in every part of the country along with affliliated schools, hospitals and community centers. Therefore by increasing collaborations and use of these networks in data collection to feed the vital registratiuon system cannot be overemphasised"

The picture from left to right names: Mr. Mosese Ali ( Birthj and Death), Middle: Mr. Stephen Kwaku Amoah - Acting Registrar Birth and Death and Mr. Nii Odai from the Ghana Statistical Services.


By: Benjamin Nana Appiah Acquaye