In a major step toward building a robust national identity system, Ghana has opened a high-level validation workshop for its Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Strategic Plan for the period 2025 to 2030.
Delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony, the Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Hon. Rita Naa Odoley Sowah emphasized the country’s unwavering commitment to modernising its CRVS system to ensure that every birth, death, and other vital event is accurately documented.
“This gathering is not only timely but symbolic. It affirms our national commitment to build a robust, inclusive, and fully integrated CRVS system that leaves no one behind,” she stated.
Hon. Naa Odoley Sowah noted that the CRVS system goes beyond recordkeeping and provides citizens with legal identity, enabling access to essential services such as healthcare, education, voting, pension claims, and social protection. She added that a functional CRVS system is also critical for effective governance and development planning through the generation of reliable, disaggregated population data.
The Deputy Minister highlighted the progress Ghana has made in recent years. Between 2023 and 2024, the Births and Deaths Registry conducted a nationwide assessment of the CRVS landscape. Key achievements include:
An increase in birth registration coverage to 76.7% in 2024
Strengthened collaboration among institutions such as the Ghana Health Service, Ghana Statistical Service, and local government authorities
Despite these gains, she expressed concern that death registration coverage remains low at just 35.3%, largely due to socio-cultural factors, limited public awareness, and weak enforcement of registration laws at the community level.
She stressed the importance of joint efforts between the Births and Deaths Registry and other stakeholders to ensure that every child is counted at birth, every life is documented, and every Ghanaian has access to a legal identity.
In his welcome remarks, the Acting Registrar of Births and Deaths, Mr. Samuel Adom-Botchway described the Strategic Plan as the product of months of consultations and technical input from stakeholders across the CRVS ecosystem.
He announced that a draft copy of the plan is expected to be submitted to H.E. President John Dramani Mahama, who has expressed strong interest in the document as part of his broader reset agenda for national development.
“I want to commend Dr. Emmanuel Budu Addo, the consultant in charge of the plan, for his leadership and expertise in aligning Ghana’s CRVS goals with national and international frameworks, including Vision 2057, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the African Union’s Agenda 2063,” Mr. Adom-Botchway stated.
He further noted that the new CRVS plan, which builds on lessons from the 2016–2020 framework, aims to achieve 100% birth registration and 95% death registration by the centenary of Ghana’s independence
In a bold assertion, he added that once fully implemented, the CRVS system could significantly reduce the need for population censuses in Ghana.
The Strategic Plan was developed through extensive consultations involving key institutions such as the Ministry of Local Government, Ghana Statistical Service, Ghana Health Service, Judicial Service, Ghana Police Service, and development partners including UNECA, UNICEF, and UNFPA.
The validation workshop marks a key milestone toward realising Ghana’s commitment under international frameworks such as SDG Target 16.9, which aims to provide legal identity for all by 2030, and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Story by Osman Issah Abadoo
