UNICEF, Kuami Eugene campaign for birth registration in Eastern Region

UNICEF Ghana and the Births and Deaths Registry have called on parents and caregivers to register their children within their first year of life to help secure their legal identity.

The call was made during a Birth Registration Month visit to Bepoase in the Eastern Region on September 22, involving UNICEF Ghana, officials of the Births and Deaths Registry and Ghanaian musician Kuami Eugene.

The visit highlighted progress in birth registration while drawing attention to persistent barriers, particularly for families in rural and hard-to-reach communities.

In a news release issued on Wednesday, UNICEF Ghana noted that by the end of 2025, 588,972 births had been registered across Ghana, representing 73.4 per cent of the expected total.

In the Eastern Region, registration coverage increased from about 60 per cent in 2024 to 65 per cent in 2025.

Despite the improvement, the region remains among those with the lowest birth registration coverage in the country.

During the visit, UNICEF Representative in Ghana Andy Brooks, officials of the Births and Deaths Registry and Kuami Eugene met families, community leaders and frontline registration officials to discuss the challenges affecting birth registration.

A birth certificate serves as a child’s first official proof of identity and can help facilitate access to education, healthcare and social protection.

It can also become important later in life when individuals apply for passports or national identification documents.

UNICEF Ghana said accurate birth registration data also help authorities plan and provide public services based on the needs of different communities.

However, the organisation noted that distance from registration offices, poor roads, seasonal inaccessibility and limited transport continue to make registration difficult and costly for some families.

Resource constraints, including limited staffing, transport, information and communications technology equipment and community-level registration points, also affect outreach and service delivery.

UNICEF Ghana stressed the need for registration services to be made more accessible and better integrated into health and other community services, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

The organisation cautioned that children without birth registration may face difficulties proving their identity, age, place of birth, nationality and family relationships.

They may also encounter barriers when accessing essential services and documents, including education, healthcare, social protection, passports and national identification.