Agnes Ansah
Accra, May 9, GNA – The 2022 Births and Deaths Registry Statistical report has revealed that 2,099 out of the 677,140 children born in that year have doubtful paternity.
The report explained that those were births where the identity of the men who fathered the children were not known.
The report was launched in Accra on Thursday, May 9.
The report, the first of its kind, was put together by the Births and Deaths Registry with inputs and support from partner organizations, including the Ghana Health Service and National Identification Authority.
The report further revealed that the Greater Accra Region topped the chart with 446 children born with doubtful paternity.
On the other hand, the North East Region, was at the bottom of the chat with just 9 children who were born with doubtful paternity.
The Central Region came second with 328, Upper East, 232, Eastern, 223, Western, 220 and Ashanti, 180, in that order.
The rest are, Volta, 180, Western North 55, Ahafo, 51, Oti, 50, Northern 42, Bono 41, Bono East, 38, Upper West, 33 and Savannah, 19, in that order.
Addressing guests at the event, Mr Osei Bonsu Amoah, Minister of State at the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, said the statistics had come at a very good time because there had been growing demand for access to birth and death registration data by researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders.
He said the demand was driven by a growing recognition of the importance of data for improving public health outcomes, addressing social inequalities, and promoting evidence-based decision-making.
The Minister expressed his gratitude to the Ag. Registrar and her team for compiling the data.
He called on the Government and development partners to use the report as a stepping stone to create a brighter and more inclusive future for all.
Madam Henrietta Lamptey, Ag. Registrar, Births and Deaths Registry, said the maiden report highlighted her outfit’s commitment to provide information on every birth and death in the country.
She said understanding the size and characteristics of a country’s population on a timely basis was fundamental for effective socioeconomic planning and informed decision-making.
She noted that vital statistics enabled the establishment of goals, assessment of social and economic plans, and monitoring of health and population intervention programmes implemented by our government.
“Statistics like how many babies are born, how many are unfortunately dead in a particular period or how long people live, help us do this.
“By looking at these numbers closely, we can set goals, check if our plans are working, and make sure that programmes for health and population are doing well,” she said.
She said the Registry would ensure that every birth and death was registered in a timely and accurate manner to inform decision making and planning.
Aside the statistics on children born with doubtful paternity, the report also touched on other issues such as place of birth, timeliness of registration, sex ratio, facility of birth and as well as death registration statistics.
GNA