UNICEF, partners launch Ghana's new birth registration system

UNICEF and its partners including the Birth and Death Registry (BDR) of Ghana and Milicom Ghana Limited, mobile telecom company on Wednesday officially launched a new automated birth registration system.

The partnership involves support for equipment, supplies and technical support that will enable the BDR to transform from the current manual registration system to a modern, automated system.

This new system has the potential of revolutionizing the registration of new born babies making it quick and easy for parents to obtain a birth certificate with correct information, according to a release issued by the UNICEF in Accra.

For the government, the new system offers a more robust and cost effective system as it transfers the information about the birth automatically from the site of registration to a central database in the capital.

In Ghana, more than four in 10 children are not registered at birth.

And even when children are registered, many are still lacking a birth certificate while about 15 percent of the registered children below age five do not have a birth certificate.

Children who are not registered at birth or without identification documents are at risk of being excluded from accessing education, health care and other basic services.

The Deputy Representative of UNICEF Ghana Rushnan Murtaza said birth registration was more than just a right, adding that it was how a society first recognizes and acknowledges a child's identity and existence.

"Birth registration is also key to guaranteeing that children are not forgotten, denied their rights or hidden from the progress of their nations," she said.

Birth registration rates in Ghana has stagnated over the past few years, consistently leaving out about 35 percent of all new-born babies.

The new automated birth registration system's use of technology is addressing this challenge by making the system more efficient, effective, and cost-effective.

The Registrar of the Births and Deaths Registry John Agbeko said birth registration is an essential component of a country's civil registry; it strengthens the quality of vital statistics, aids planning and improves government efficiency.

Experts believe the use of technology for birth registration will form a strong foundation and give legal identity and protection to Ghana's future generation.

Source: XINHUA