NPC Records 57% Birth Registration in 23 States

The National Population Commission says it has recorded 57 per cent of digital birth registration across 23 states.

In May 2023, the NPC said it would digitise the civic registration and vital statistics process and target the registration of 12.7 million under-five children in 2023.

The digitisation in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund will increase the percentage of children with birth certificates which is currently between 33% – 63% in urban areas and 32% in rural areas.

Speaking with our correspondent, the Director, Vital Registration, NPC, Sunday Matthew, said: “The birth registration of 12 million under-five eligible children is ongoing. The level of coverage is 57 per cent.”

Matthew noted that a lot of sensitisation and awareness were still on ground to make parents see the need to register their children at birth.

He said: “We have been speaking to parents, especially mothers on the need to register their children at birth.

“We are automating the processes of childbirth registration to ensure that there will be no double registration and for the probability.”

Matthew added that President Bola Tinubu was expected to launch the app for digitisation and automation of the civic registration process, though NPC had yet to get the date of the launching.