By Muniratu Akweley Issah, GNA
Bepoase (E/R), Sept. 26, GNA – UNICEF Ghana, in collaboration with the Births and Deaths Registry, and Afrobeats artiste, Kuami Eugene, has embarked on an advocacy drive to improve birth registration among children in Bepoase in the Ayensuano District of the Eastern Region.
The initiative formed part of activities to raise awareness about the importance of birth registration and encourage parents and caregivers to register their children from birth.
The team engaged families, community members, chiefs and frontline registration officials to assess progress, identify persistent barriers and reinforce the importance of registering every child.
Mr Andy Brooks, UNICEF Ghana Country Representative, said the advocacy drive was being undertaken across the country, with communities selected randomly, particularly in areas where registration levels were low.
He said UNICEF was supporting the national Births and Deaths Registration Service from the national, regional and district levels to improve coverage.
Ghana had made significant progress in birth registration since the 1990s, however, registration among children under one had declined in recent years from about 90 per cent to between 74 and 75 per cent, he noted.
Mr Brooks said the situation was worrying as unregistered children were effectively invisible in national planning.
“If a child is not registered at birth, they’re not counted. You don’t know your child population. So, they’re completely invisible and no body is planning for them,” he said.
He explained that accurate birth registration was particularly important for planning healthcare, education and other social services.
Mr Brooks cited vaccination programmes as an example, saying health authorities needed reliable information on the number of children in communities to determine the quantity of vaccines required.
He said registration also provided children with legal identity and could help protect them from abuses such as child marriage, while ensuring that their age was properly established when they came into contact with the justice system.
He urged parents to register their children immediately after birth, adding that children entering school without birth certificates should also be referred to the Births and Deaths Registry.
The UCountry Representative emphasised that birth registration was free from birth to 12 months, while children older than one year could still be registered.
He said chiefs had an important role to play and that leaders in Bepoase had committed to encouraging parents to register their children.
Kuami Eugene, who joined UNICEF for the advocacy, said registration was important for children to be identified as Ghanaians and for national planning.
He said many people waited until they needed to travel before considering birth registration.
“Aside from music, I love kids so much, being with UNICEF for almost a year had been an amazing journey. Anybody that prioritizes children, I love them as well. I think it’s a blessing to be part of this initiative to create awareness and help people to register their children before they grow up,” he said.
Mr Edward Abrahams, the Eastern Regional Registrar, said coverage remained low due to inadequate resources, poor internet connectivity, under-staffing and lack of volunteerism.
“Due to poor network, it is very difficult for our officers to get registration done. Lack of volunteerism has also become a problem because there is no form of motivation, hence we are unable to cover all areas,” he stated.
Mr Abrahams called for increased public education and awareness to enable Ghanaians attach interest in acquiring birth certificates for their children.
Nana Osae Ababio II, Gyaasehene of Bepoase, commended UNICEF and partners for the initiative and urged residents to take advantage and register their children.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
26 Sept, 2026
Caption: Pictures attached
Reporter: Muniratu Akweley Issah